Mario GT: ADAC Zurich 24-Hour Race of Nürburgring
by 122 Generation
Summary: Unexpectedly, BMW Motorsport invites Luigi, Daisy, and the others to an intense 24-hour race at the Nürburgring in Germany. For this kind of race, it will test more than just skill and endurance, but will test their teamwork and trust. It doesn't help that the Nürburgring is nicknamed the 'Green Hell' either.
1. Mushroom Omelette to Motorsport

**Now for those who are interested, this is totally inspired by the actual running of the 24-hour race. I just had to mix it in with the Mario universe...**

**This event happens right after a Mario Kart tournament, namely the Special Cup Tour, so be prepared for an intense race in the future!**

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><p><em><span><strong>Chapter one<strong>_

**Mushroom Kingdom: 6:00 AM**

The sun began to dawn upon the Mushroom Kingdom. With clear skies and radiant rolling green hills, it was yet going to be another beautiful and typical day in the Kingdom.

The trees were a deep green and it was only 6 in the morning when the sun rose. As it was summertime, the land welcomed the warmth the sun brought on the grass, the flowers…

In a certain two-storey house lay Luigi on his comfortable bed, his signature green hat put aside near the front door. It had been three weeks since the competition for the Special Cup Tour in Mario Kart Racing. With a victory as second overall to Mario, and after two weeks of preparation and racing, he was exhausted.

He dreamed of that time when he stood on the podium where the silver Special Cup was passed into his hands. Even though he never came in first, it left him with something of a success.

**Mushroom Kingdom: 8:00 AM**

A few hours later, Luigi awoke to the bright sun rays that shined down through his window. Although exhausted, he slowly got up and went to eat his breakfast. The meal he prepared was a recipe sent from his friend Princess Daisy: a first-class style Mushroom omelette that only she knew about. To Luigi, it felt like a bit of an embarrassment for Daisy to show him such favour.

"Okay, Daisy…" Luigi muttered to himself. "Let's see how well your recipe tastes…"

But this was the first time that he had to prepare this recipe. He took out of his stock some Mushrooms, some onions, and some the biggest yet common eggs just at the border of the Mushroom Kingdom. Even though they were eggs, they looked like small boulders. He only needed to cook one and there would be more than enough for him.

He set the grill and put a frying pan over it. As quickly as possible, he cracked the egg open and added onions and Mushrooms. Secondly, he cooked it for minutes and added some black pepper to enhance the taste.

The egg was starting to solidify, and finally Luigi added some milk and flipped the egg he wanted to. After a metre high flame briefly erupted, he switched the grill off and landed the egg on a plate. Pouring himself a glass of orange juice, he brought his breakfast to the table and prepared to eat.

"First class style…" he said. "Doesn't look like much…"

Luigi picked up his fork and ate a bit of it, and the omelette was indeed as delicious as promised. But what Luigi wasn't satisfied with was that the flavour tasted just… too regular. But he decided against complaining and kept eating the tasty meal.

By the time he was halfway through his omelette and right after finishing his juice, a knock on the front door could be heard. He put his fork down and hastily went to grab his hat, which he clumsily put on his head in an effort to get to the door first.

"Hello…?" said the voice outside.

"Coming!" Luigi shouted, and then he opened the door in a flash. His jaw slightly dropped.

It was Princess Daisy. Luigi by instinct immediately straightened his hat and cleared his throat.

"Eh… good morning, Daisy," Luigi bowed. "What brings you here today?"

She rushed quickly to give him a hug, forcing his hat to tilt slightly again. When she had finally let go, Luigi re-straightened his hat again, giving her an annoyed stare.

"Oh, Luigi," she gave a flick of her hand suggesting 'Whatever.' "I thought you'd be interested if we could have some coffee in the city this morning."

Luigi raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

"Oh, well – it _is_ a nice day in the summer, isn't it?" Daisy said. "Why don't you take out your kart to Mushroom City? It'll be a nice day for a drive."

"Why not?" Luigi looked over his shoulder into his house. "Why don't you come in while I get my kart ready? It won't be long."

Daisy nodded. As Luigi walked away to his garage, Daisy took the liberty of looking around his house: it was tidy for sure. And at the kitchen table she could not help but notice a well-cooked half-eaten omelette on the table. When she saw the ingredients though, Daisy had an idea what Luigi was trying to cook. But the real giveaway was when she saw her own handwriting on a piece of paper; and she concluded instantly that this was Luigi's attempt to cook her first-class style Mushroom omelette.

_Let's see what you did wrong…_ she thought, and she began her five second analysis.

"Okay, Daisy! I'm ready," Luigi said while walking in, and saw Daisy cut a sample of his omelette and ate it. Luigi then smirked.

"So what went wrong?"

"Well," she said. "You're missing a few drops of lemon juice. AND did you remember to use a Life Shroom with it?"

By the silence Luigi was giving, Daisy laughed and clamped a hand on his shoulder.

"So you DIDN'T, huh?!" she laughed. "That's hilarious! You should've – should've read my instructions more closely! I better do the cooking next time!"

Luigi smiled. "But you never mentioned a Life Shroom in your recipe, did you know that? How _could_ have I known to use one if I never saw?"

Daisy snatched up the recipe and held it close to him.

"There, you see? Right next to the Mushrooms _in fine print and underlined_, how could you not see that? That was basic stuff!"

Luigi took the recipe from her and saw that Daisy was right. It was legible, at least, but the instructions were clearly written that he _did_ need a Life Shroom to complete the taste in full.

"Well, you know, I'm still tired from that hard fought victory in the Special Cup Tour," Luigi explained. "Second only to Mario. That reminds me; what place did you come in?"

"Sixth," she said. "But I'm disappointed that you couldn't read that part of the recipe. Besides, I underlined it in RED."

"How about this?" Luigi proposed. "The drinks are on me once we get to the city. It'll make up for my failure, okay?"

"Sure!" Daisy said with a grin. "I can already taste it!"

As Daisy went to ignite her kart, Luigi prepared to start his. They both took off for the highway at a relatively fair speed.

**Mushroom City: 10:30 AM**

Their karts, one green and one orange, were neatly parked on the side of the road just beside a small coffee shop on the corner of the block. While Luigi and Daisy would have been famous in the region for numerous reasons, they preferred to spare some time on their own. Fortunately, the citizens of Mushroom City were used to their presence, and carried about their own business.

The two friends were sitting outside in the sunlight with two cups of coffee and shared a muffin. Daisy took a slight advantage of Luigi's purchase and ordered an extra muffin for herself. Fortunately for Luigi, the overall cost was a mere 20 coins.

"I wonder what we'll do today," Daisy said.

"And why's that?" Luigi said back.

"Well, the Special Cup Tour was pretty much the highlight of the Mushroom Kingdom," Daisy said with a sigh. "Some shops are closed, and at least three malls have closed for renovation!"

Luigi gave this some thought, and came up with an answer after Daisy had finished.

"I suppose you wouldn't mind if we do a little friendly competition in our karts," he suggested. "Or, we could cruise around in karts or bikes."

The two of them, who both had a liking for racing, although Daisy had only the slightest depression from her sixth place finish at the Special Cup Tour, agreed to cruise to Princess Peach's Castle, which lay on the more rural parts of the kingdom.

"Okay, I'm done with my coffee," Daisy said. "Hey, while you're finishing yours, why don't I buy another muffin? There's no harm."

Luigi sighed and handed over a few coins to her, although he felt a bit happier that he could gift Daisy with something. She smiled at him and stood up to buy another muffin, and Luigi smiled warmly at her in response.

* * *

><p>In the main street, there was a particular car that was driving through with several decals on it. One decal read '<strong>The Ultimate Driving Experience'<strong>, which raised some questions from local pedestrians, though a quarter of the local civilians didn't notice. The back of the car had a steel model number displaying '330i'.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: 'The Ultimate Driving Experience' is the slogan for BMW Canada, and not BMW of North America (which is the US).**

* * *

><p>That car stopped at the side of the road near the coffee shop, but not near enough that the people at the coffee shop could see the car.<p>

The back door opened, and a well-dressed man with black hair in a blue and black suit and steel rim glasses stepped out, with a briefcase.

He looked around to make sure he didn't attract too much attention, and confirming that the person at the coffee shop really was the one he was looking for, he walked to the shop.

"That's Luigi, for sure," he said to himself, and then his next thought was, _and that young woman… a girlfriend of his, perhaps, or maybe just a friend? No matter._

He continued to walk in the direction of the twosome, and hoped that he would leave with the hope of success he came for.

* * *

><p>"Want a piece of my muffin, Luigi?"<p>

"It's okay. I've had my fill of a Mushroom Omelette this morning."

"Oh, alright. I just didn't want to feel too guilty of spending your coins on this break."

"That's okay. I can always get more."

Daisy gave a smile of gratitude to him, and finished her muffin. Luigi got up and disposed of his cup into the trash and sat back down.

"I've been thinking, Luigi," Daisy began. "Maybe we should race to Peach's castle instead. You still have some hype from the Special Cup Tour?"

"Oh yeah, definitely," Luigi replied. He tipped his hat and reached out a hand for Daisy to get up, which Daisy did take.

"Excuse me for interrupting your date, but would you happen to be Luigi?" said a nearby voice.

The twosome stared at the voice. Right there was a fairly tall man dressed in a suit and glasses. Both Luigi and Daisy turned slightly pink at the mention of 'date', but the man was able to break the few moments of silence.

"My name is Michael Fong, could you give me a few moments of your time, please?" he said. "I've got a brief proposal for you, so I'm told of your racing skills."

Daisy glanced at Luigi, who nodded at her and they both sat down again, Michael did the same.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Fong," Luigi extended his hand, in which Michael shook politely. "May I introduce my friend Princess Daisy?"

Daisy shook her hand with Michael's too, and then he cleared his throat.

"Well, I haven't fully introduced myself nor did I say why I'm here. Anyway, I am the general manager and assistant president of BMW Motorsport. You've heard of it, right?"

Both Luigi and Daisy stared at him, but immediately they displayed an emotion that showed they wanted to justify themselves.

**Downtown Mushroom City: 1:37 PM**

"I know about BMW," Luigi said. "Or Bayerische Motoren Werke, I think it's called. It's a car manufacturer in Germany. I've seen many of them on my touring trips, and I gotta say; they are fine cars and quite unique in taste."

In a conference centre in Mushroom City, Michael brought their lunch for them to eat in the previous hour. They figured it would be more logical to discuss his matters in private.

"Me too," Daisy agreed with Luigi. "I've known about BMW since they listed it in the newspapers here and I've seen several models. Ha, I've even driven one. But what's BMW Motorsport?"

Michael chuckled and put his briefcase on the table, without opening it. _How impressive it is that they were both thinking the same thing._

"BMW, Bavarian Motor Works in English, has a division called M; hence the name _Motorsport_. They specialise in taking stock BMW cars and tuning them to virtually making them race ready."

"Well, BMW M also participates in the racing world as well. Our signature car, the M3, is our lightest and most effective car out there yet, and we're still preparing to develop new ones. Sadly, we had to retire it. But it's spirit lives in the BMW Z4 GT3, where it's powered by the M3's engine."

He unlocked his briefcase and gave out pictures of an alpine white M3, and an alpine white Z4 to Luigi and Daisy ("Here's our latest," he said) in which they examined closely with genuine interest.

"Carbon top…" Daisy muttered and passed it to Luigi.

_Oh, I remember this car,_ he thought, looking at the M3.

After Luigi had finished looking at it, he turned his attention to Michael.

"Hey, Mr. Fong –"

"You can call me Michael," he interrupted. "I prefer not to be too formal to some extent."

"Okay, Michael," Luigi corrected casually. "Say, what events has BMW Motorsport participated or involved in? I'm sure there must be lots."

Michael reached into his briefcase and took out more photos and a file. He turned them to Luigi and Daisy again.

"The vingt-quatre heures du Mans, or should I say, the 24 Hours of Le Mans based in France, is one of our highest concentrated races we do annually. We stake a lot of commitment into that one race." (**NOTE: If you're not too fluent in French, the 'Mans' part is pronounced 'maw' and not 'mans', the s is silent**).

"24 hours?!" Daisy exclaimed. "How do drivers stay –" But Michael held up a hand for silence.

"We always have a team of at least four drivers to operate the car. But as I was saying, there were other races like the 1000 kilometres of Silverstone and the 6 Hours of Zhuhai which we normally do very well in our class. But it's fairly rare do we actually take an overall win against all the other classes."

"By 'classes'," Luigi asked. "Do you mean regulations?"

Michael took out a few more photos and explained at the same time. "Naturally in Le Mans races, American Le Mans Series and of course the 24 Hours, they divide up cars into Le Mans Prototypes and Grand Touring. Of course, it's not often we can beat an LMP; they're racing machines! Even so, our M3 had the stamina to survive the race, at least."

Daisy looked at the photo of a Peugeot LMP and compared it with the M3. The point was taken instantly, as the Peugeot had the aerodynamics to exceed the M3.

"I suppose you're not just here to show us pictures of race cars are you?" Luigi asked, although he had a hunch for Michael's answer.

"That's correct," Michael replied. "I've heard you have a sterling skill with racing since your finish at the Special Cup Tour, and I was hoping if you'd be interested to join us; Team BMW Motorsport, in a 24 hour race in Germany."

He gave a handout to Daisy, which read:

**Zurich 24h ADAC Nürburgring**

The 24h parts were in large red letters, and the logo beside it showed a hand, coloured light blue and black in the style of a checkered flag. The hand was gripping an analog stopwatch.

"_Another_ 24 hours?!" Daisy exclaimed. "That sounds exactly like Le Mans!"

"Pretty much," Michael nodded. "In southern Germany, there is a circuit called the Nürburgring. It has about 88 corners and 24 kilometres a lap. This circuit has nothing but legend written all over it: every section is dangerous combined with the fact you and the car need to survive day and night. 24 hours, and that's the kind of thrill the people want."

"The Nürburgring devotes its racing class only to Grand Touring, so there's no chance of any LMPs appearing in the race. And henceforth gives us an improved chance of winning the Nürburgring this year."

He took out a form and a pen. "So, Luigi, would you like to join the team? Actually, I'm thinking of inviting others from around this country to join the team too. I'll write letters to them tonight."

Before Luigi could say anything, Daisy jumped in. "Hey! No fair! Why is it only _Luigi_ who gets to enter?! Wouldn't it be fair if I could come with him, too? I can drive. And I'm telling you this, Michael, I placed sixth overall in the Special Cup Tour! Isn't that acceptable?"

"Princess Daisy," Michael scoffed. "I never said you couldn't come. I was only giving an open suggestion to Luigi. But if you're that optimistic on this race…"

Daisy was about to speak, but Luigi intervened first, saying, "Come on, Michael, I insist. I can trust that she's a really good driver. You've got to admit; a sixth place finish in the Special Cup Tour is a feat enough; especially when she was using a standard kart."

Michael grinned at the sight of their faces: Daisy's was a mix of embarrassment and delight and Luigi's was pink. He exhaled a breath between a laugh and pulled out a second form from his briefcase.

"These are application forms. When you've filled them, I'll be sending letters for others to join the team. When all that's done; you'll go through a bit of training, and then you'll qualify as Team BMW Motorsport drivers!"

The forms had the official BMW logo on top, followed by labels and name and residence… all the usual things. But the thing both Luigi and Daisy had trouble with was that the application requested a short half a page paragraph explaining why they chose to apply for Team BMW Motorsport.

"Michael," Luigi said. "How am I supposed to answer this question?"

"Build on something you like," he said back. "Think. Why, of all racing teams, did you pick BMW M? You don't have to include BMW, just something out of your own heart."

Daisy had a different mindset at that question. She simply wrote about: _my desire to become a better driver than I was in the Special Cup Tour. Even though I came in sixth…_ and _I also want to show my great friend Luigi my skills in motor sport too!_

**Mushroom City: 2:45 PM**

After a while, Luigi found a suitable answer to the question… _One reason I can say is, apart from being suggested by a member from the actual team, I want to participate in BMW M for the people who enjoy the race and those who race in it._

Michael took the applications and stood up. "Thanks for your time! I will ensure you'll get in. And since you two are nothing less than a couple, I think that'll benefit our racing time, too!"

"We're just friends –" Luigi started but Daisy nudged him.

"Kind words, Michael. Don't worry, we will make sure we'll get that finish at Nürburgring in first!"

She was the first to shake Michael's hand, and Luigi followed suit. Michael then piled everything into his briefcase and closed it afterward.

"I trust you can do as you say," Michael concluded. "I will send you a letter when I have finished gathering the team."

They took the elevator to the ground level of the conference centre where they parted ways. Michael walked over to his BMW 330i and entered the rear door and took off for the highway. This left Luigi and Daisy in a suspended position.

"You figure he'll get us in?" Luigi said.

"He really wanted us to, AND we've never done Grand Touring before," Daisy reasoned. "It should be a wonderful experience for us, as opposed to the Special Cup Tour."

"Yeah."

They walked away from the building to their parked karts. With lots of daylight, they decided to drive to Princess Peach's Castle at back as they previously agreed.

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 8:17 PM**

In a temporary BMW-rented building, Michael Fong was now confident that, after counselling with BMW Motorsport presidents and managers, Luigi and Daisy would be two of the drivers for the team. Drivers aside, he still needed to assemble a pit stop crew as well.

Right now, in front of him, were applicants with completed forms ready to hand to him. Michael never thought that at such a late time did people start to apply to Team BMW Motorsport. But he needed a massive team to participate in the 24 hour race, he might as well work with what he has.

"You are…?" He said to the little character in front of him, who had something of a mushroom on top of his head. A helmet, maybe?

"Toad," he said, his voice high-pitched. "I've heard BMW M is in the country, and I think you'd want some help in races of yours. Could I apply for the role of tire catcher? What do they do?"

Michael opened a file and searched through for the description.

"In the pit crew, we have three essential roles. One of these three parts, like you said, is the tire catcher. They have the stamina to remove tires and carry them away efficiently from the car. Do you think you could manage?"

"Yeah, I can do that!" Toad said. "In fact, I have three friends of mine here, called Toad, who'd are also interested in the job too! I even have their application forms here on their behalf!"

Michael was speechless as Toad happily handed him three additional BMW Motorsport applications. After taking that in, he reached out to shake Toad's hand.

"I'm telling this to you and your friends; welcome to Team BMW Motorsport. I will send you guys letters eventually to date a meeting for the entire team."

"Thank you, Mr. Fong!" Toad said. "My friends and I will do our best! All for Team BMW M!"

Toad left the room with four applications in hand and a content smile on his face. Michael had a smile on his face too, and he wrote down neat notes on his file.

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 8:39 PM**

Another character walked in a while later. Michael examined him closely: a Koopa.

"My name's Koops," said the Koopa. "I'm a local in this region. Say, I've noticed your three-part pit crew roles. Can I apply with my friends for the post of tire carrier? I promise I won't let you down."

Michael had half a cup of espresso sitting right next to his right hand. As he had been working in the dark for the past hour and possibly into the night, he needed all the focus he could get. He drank a decent sip and looked at the application in front of him.

"I could trust you with the job," Michael said. "But would you have the speed and efficiency – not to mention precision! – to do this? In the pit stop: precision will be the matter between victory and defeat at the end of those 24 hours."

Koops brought his friends in the room to discuss Michael's words of warning. But they immediately turned to face him.

"Speed and efficiency we can do," said Koops. "We can simply pop into our shells to bring the tire on it from a distance, and then we can bring the tire from our hands onto the car."

Michael was partly convinced by Koops' argument, but still had another warning.

"Could I trust you guys to put the tire on the car _precisely?_" he deeply emphasised the word. "If the tire isn't put on right; the car's wheel alignment may alter, and that will badly affect the driving! It could cost us an hour to climb back to a high rank."

The Koopas were silent. Koops spoke up at the last minute.

"With some thorough training, we'll manage," he assured.

After ten more minutes of discussion, Michael was satisfied with the Koopas' passion for the race and how promising their efficiency would be. Soon after that, Michael accepted Koops and his friends into Team BMW Motorsport.

"You won't regret this," Koops said. "I'll expect your letters soon!"

"I won't take too long," Michael assured. "Just long enough to finish every letter correctly."

He then shook hands with Koops, each Koopa and called for adjournment. They left with traces of excitement on their faces, and Michael took the fact that he got ten members into Team BMW Motorsport. Maybe, this might be BMW's year to win the Nürburgring; the first time in years.

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 9:57 PM**

If anyone wasn't tired after nine hours of solid work into the night, Michael Fong was for certain one of them. Although he managed to get a major part of Team BMW Motorsport filled, there was still a number of positions needed to be filled. He had a list of people of the Mushroom Kingdom laid out beside him, and a computer with a blank page in front of him.

"More letters…" Michael yawned. "I've got to keep writing… but to whom?"

He glanced at the positions list: he still needed two more drivers to drive the race car for example, and this was followed by a need for four wheel gun carriers, someone to carry the fuel tank for the car, someone to power the pneumatic air jack to raise the car for changing tires…

The cup of espresso had been refilled by him at the coffee machine. He needed to focus, no matter how tiresome it was, and get the letters written to a select few of the Mushroom Kingdom…

He picked up the espresso and drank one mouthful of it. After that he put it down and laid one hand on the keyboard and the other on his pen and file.

_Think, who might be suitable for these positions?_

He began to write a few notes in his file and continued to think about more potential members…

* * *

><p><strong>I could give you guesses who would be in charge of these positions, but I've already decided who they are. Let me know if you're interested to read about a 24-hour race! Actually, I'm a little scared to write about it myself!<strong>


	2. Letter to a Shining Star

_**Chapter two**_

**Comet Observatory: 10:00 AM**

"You have one new letter in your inbox sent from the Mushroom Kingdom, ma'am. Shall I deliver it to you straight away?"

"No thank you, Luma. I will see to my inbox myself. I personally haven't been there for a while anyway. I little walk for me should do me some good."

Rosalina had been working on paperwork about solar constellations for several days in the library and her office. In fact, she had been so absorbed by her work that at one point she missed an internal conference within the Observatory.

"Very well, Rosalina. Take your time."

As Luma walked away, Rosalina got up and briefly stretched one arm up, and walked out of the library out into the grounds of the Observatory; where the area around it stretched out into nothing but endless space and countless numbers of stars. She only needed to walk a length around the centre of the area to reach the Fountain.

Only minutes later, she walked past the Observatory's core and into the Fountain.

"Luma, do you have the letter here?"

"Indeed, ma'am. The letter is levitating on top of the fountain's water. It has been waiting here for you for the past hour. I can't imagine who would have sent it," Luma said.

Rosalina took out and gave a casual flick of her wand and the letter was then extracted from the fountain, floating gently into Rosalina's hands. She took a moment to consider who from the Mushroom Kingdom might have taken the trouble to send a letter straight to the Observatory; people like Mario or Peach would be the most likely contacts.

But to her surprise, this letter had a logo on it; labelled **BMW Motorsport**. At once Rosalina knew that it involved some sort of racing, as she had recently completed and survived the Special Cup Tour. On the front of the envelope also read, 'For the attention of Rosalina. Comet Observatory.'

"What is it, Rosalina?" asked Luma.

"Um… I think I'll take this to my office," she said. "It looks something official to be dealt with. I know _for sure_ that it won't involve the Special Cup Tour again. That was painstaking."

"I hear you," Luma said. "I had to accompany you throughout all those races! We got hit with so many Red Shells –"

"Luma," Rosalina coaxed her Luma, but with a hint of warning.

"Uh… yeah! Right!"

She beamed a flight of stairs for instant access to her office. Luma continued to float by Rosalina's side as she walked up and up in the direction of the Observatory's upper level. Eventually, she walked into her office and sat down near her desk.

_BMW Motorsport… but really; what for? It's more about racing, perhaps,_ she thought. _I do wonder though: how did it get here?!_

She tore the envelope open and pulled out the letter that was addressed to her. She started to read through it with fairly genuine interest. As she read it, she mouth slightly parted in shock.

_Greetings, Rosalina,_

_It is with great pleasure that I, Michael Fong, General Manager and Assistant President of BMW M, am personally inviting you to participate as a driver in BMW Motorsport with welcome. You probably may have heard of it: we specialise in the world of Grand Touring racing with our prestigious M3 and the Z4, and have seen countless victories over decades of racing. Races like the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the American Le Mans Series are among our various participations._

_As we progress into the racing season this year; ADAC of Germany is hosting the most renowned race in the world; the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. I am visiting the Mushroom Kingdom on BMW M's behalf in the hope that drivers here may have the chance to participate in this legendary race this year, since I've heard of some talented drivers in kart racing and the Special Cup Tour._

_I've been told by some people and reading comments in Mario Kart that you are an amazing driver, and I hope by this you will join us, BMW Motorsport, in our survival of the 24 Hours. Of course, I am not forcing you, but I think this should be a wonderful experience for you to take part in such a cruel endurance of 24 hours. But you're not alone: I've already enlisted the help for half the team of Team BMW Motorsport. When the time comes, our partner Schubert Motorsport will represent us in the race, along with veteran team members in the other Z4._

_Please take this into consideration to helping Team BMW Motorsport as a driver: it is unarguably one of many positions the team depends on. Remember, no one is forcing you to sign in! If you do want to join; I've disclosed an application form for you to fill out. Mail this and the application back to the disclosed address, and I'll mail you back a date of meeting later. Rest assured: if you do choose to come, BMW Motorsport will supply your racing gear, so there's no need to bring your own._

_If you are anywhere suspicious as to how I got this letter sent to the Comet Observatory; let me say that BMW has some strong tie with the postal services here in the Mushroom Kingdom._

_Sincerely,_

_Michael Fong_

_BMW Motorsport Assistant President and General Manager_

She gaped at the letter for some time. Of course, Rosalina had a passion for racing; but to be _invited_ to a legendary event such as this was a little overwhelming. She had never been Grand Touring before, although she _had_ heard of it. This was some kind of opportunity she wouldn't want to miss; and the general manager – Michael, he was called – had already gathered half of the team. From her knowledge of the racing world; Rosalina had heard Grand Touring required a formidably massive team.

"Looks like it won't hurt to do a little more racing," she said to herself. Her works on the constellations could wait until she had helped out Team BMW Motorsport. Additionally and beneficially: she could use a break from the Observatory anyway.

She reached out for one of her pens and started to write on the application form.

**Comet Observatory: 12:09 PM**

Polari the Luma wasn't at all worried that Rosalina had been spending over two hours in her office on a letter. But since it wasn't about solar constellations, this heightened Polari's curiosity, so Polari decided to peek at what Rosalina was reading about.

Right before Polari was about to knock on the office door, the door swung open.

"Ah, Polari," Rosalina said smoothly. "I just happened to be looking for you."

"Yes, Rosalina," Polari casually said. "What's in the letter?"

"Oh, nothing; it was just an invitation from a motor sport team. They want me to help them out on a 24 hour race –"

"WHAT?!" Luma interrupted. "Why didn't you tell me?! Are you going?! When are you going?! You wouldn't want to leave the Observatory like you did with the Special Cup Tour, are you?"

Rosalina grinned, saying, "It's only for 24 hours, and I'm not leaving yet. Could you do me a favour, Polari? I need you to bring this letter to mail back to the Mushroom Kingdom. We'll begin to head down once they've replied."

"Okay," he said. Taking Rosalina's letter, Polari stood holding the letter marked, 'BMW M', with Rosalina aiming her wand at him, and warped him down to the Mushroom Kingdom below; where Michael Fong's temporary BMW building stood.

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 12:15 PM**

"Okay, in you go," Polari said, pushing the letter into the building's mailbox. He then warped again into space later through the use of his own abilities.

In hours, the BMW Motorsport Assistant President and General Manager Michael Fong would have the letter in his hands, and Rosalina would be added to the team's roster.


	3. The Last Driver's Letter

**I wasn't expecting such an instant review spike after just a day or two... wow.**

**Thank you, Yoshi with a Mustache and The-Rogue-Phoenix! And just so you know, I've watched the 24-hour-race on Top Gear too.**

**Incidentally, I credit two others who supplied me with drivers, though I've forgotten their names, but...**

* * *

><p><em><span><strong>Chapter three<strong>_

**Yoshi's Island: 11:35 AM**

**The same morning…**

Yoshi and his friend Birdo each unexpectedly received a letter from a race team called BMW Motorsport. Although they couldn't speak the language too well, they were both intelligent enough to read what General Manager Michael Fong had written to them.

At the same time, Birdo had travelled from her homeland to bring this discussion to Yoshi for advice, and was even more surprised upon her arrival that Yoshi had received the same letter from BMW. She immediately started her questioning…

"What do you think?" Yoshi asked Birdo in his language. "This team BMW is asking me to participate as a driver!"

"They want me to apply as a wheel gun carrier," Birdo said. "It should be interesting."

The letter that Team BMW Motorsport had given to them stated that the race they were asking them to participate in a 24 hour race in Germany, and that the team had half the positions needed to participate in the Nürburgring. While Yoshi and Birdo had been both participants in the Special Cup Tour, this Michael Fong had noted Yoshi's skill at the wheel, which was the reason for the letter.

This was a bit of what Michael's letter to Yoshi wrote.

…_I could see in previous records that you're pretty good at turning. At the Nürburgring, where 88 corners exist per lap, your skill will be invaluable, and that's exactly the kind of driver Team BMW Motorsport needs…_

"I don't know, Birdo," Yoshi said. "I'm still a bit exhausted from the Special Cup Tour, just like the entire world is. But still…"

"You'd like to race in these 24 hours," she finished for him. "Hey, I'm exhausted too. But this is some opportunity I'd want to miss. As Michael said, it only happens once a year! Remember the letter? 24 hours, 88 corners! This is the kind of stuff we've never, EVER, done before! Who knows when would be our next chance?"

"Good point," Yoshi smiled. "Now, Michael said he included an application of some sort in here…"

Birdo also relooked at the letter Michael Fong had given to her.

…_Although I find that BMW Motorsport has many 'leading' roles, I know there is no such thing. Every part of the team is as important as the drivers. I'm choosing you to help represent BMW Motorsport's leading wheel gun carrier. With a bit of training, I know that you would have potential to do so. If you'd like to join us, let me know. The application required for you to join is inside too._

Along with what Michael wrote to Yoshi as something of a business letter also contained an application form for Yoshi to fill out, and this was the same thing for Birdo as well. Even though Birdo had little experience with the pen, Yoshi was able to help her.

"Wow, Yoshi! These are hard questions!" Birdo exclaimed. "And you seem like that they're so easy to do!"

"Of course!" Yoshi said back. "Just think back to the Special Cup Tour. It'll help a lot."

Birdo didn't need to be reminded of her part in the Tour. It was about a month-long race in their karts where

It took a while for the two of them to get the application filled. As they wrote, they came across details like place of residence and addresses, which Yoshi took time to purposefully fill out his and Birdo's. Birdo herself thought up of reasonable answers to the questions on the form; these included the ones on Yoshi's form which Birdo had generously helped him out with.

"I haven't gone racing for so long, and I've been busy for a while on the island too," Birdo said as she filled out more of the form. "Grand Touring… had you ever heard of it?"

"Not until now, which Mr. Fong has so thoroughly explained," Yoshi said as he also filled out more of the form. "Still, it remains that we get to drive in a high-end car together with the team. Grand Touring must be pretty cool! I do wonder though if Mario or Luigi are in too."

"I wouldn't be surprised if they were," she said. "After all, they were the winners of the Special Cup Tour, anyway. Grand Touring… Grand."

"We've got to try it out," Yoshi finished the rest of the application and took it to mail outside of his home. "Besides, you don't get to do the dangerous part at least. Grand Touring racing; I might crash into another car, or the car might explode, so I'm told from news around the world. But that's the fun part: it's really intense, and we've got to try to stay awake for 24 hours!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Birdo rebuked. "I'm sure that they'll provide us some place to sleep. Besides, it's impossible to keep up that kind of strength for such a long period of time. Anyhow, have you finished filling out that application?"

Yoshi took the two forms and put them into new envelopes. With two quick licks from Yoshi's long tongue, each letter was sealed up and ready to be delivered back to BMW M. Birdo took those letters and gestured for Yoshi to follow, which he did.

**Yoshi's Island: 2:04 PM**

Yoshi and Birdo made their way to the local postal service. With only 20 coins, Yoshi purchased 10 coins worth of stamps for himself and Birdo, and it was enough to cover the cost to mail to the Mushroom Kingdom. It wouldn't be long before the letters ended up at Michael Fong's hands, as a mailing truck had just exited from the office ten minutes after Yoshi and Birdo had left.

"Do you reckon they'll get the applications and accept us?" Birdo questioned.

"If this is really BMW we're dealing with, I have some doubt," Yoshi answered. "But I have a good feeling that they will. He said he's got half the team ready, and I think that Mr. Fong sent these letters specifically to us. It's as if he was giving an invitation…"

Birdo patted Yoshi's shoulder. "It _is_ an invitation. Come on, do you need to read the letter again?"

* * *

><p><strong>If you like it, then go ahead and keep reading!<strong>


	4. The Roster Grows

_**Chapter four**_

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 3:00 PM**

**21 Days before the 24 Hour Race.**

The postal service had just arrived by air and land to the doorstep of the BMW building. There was a mailbox, that was true, but this mailman preferred to just knock on doors occasionally.

"Hello? Anyone here?" he asked.

The door whipped open to reveal a man in a suit and steel-framed glasses; it was Michael.

"Oh, good afternoon," he said pleasantly. "You're here with the mail again?"

"Yep," the mailman replied. "And just so you know, your mailbox has three other letters in here. I've taken the liberty of opening your box for you."

He handed over to Michael two letters marked 'To BMW Motorsport general manager Michael Fong', which he took with gratitude.

"Thanks, I haven't had time to check my mail lately, since I'm so busy with all my other works."

"No problem," the mailman said back and tipped his hat as a gesture of departure.

Michael went back in to his office. He was just closing and finishing an interview with more applicants for his team. One of them was another Koopa; two of them were Toad civilians, and they had just applied for wheel gun carriers, which was what Michael desperately needed. He deliberately left the choice of wheel gun carriers, with the exception of Birdo, to the local residents.

_But that still leaves empty spaces for the rest of the team!_ Michael thought. _I wonder if we'll ever get the team put together in time. Still, there's three weeks before the race. But we need the time to practice as well. I just hope my letters have all been received._

Michael took a look at the many letters he had prepared to send should his letters be sent back to him. Although all the letters he prepared were copies, they were enough to schedule the date of meeting; and that was to be in a week. Each letter was already sealed in an envelope and ready to be mailed. The only problem was that the team was incomplete, and Michael couldn't really bring himself to mail them until the roster was full.

He walked to his desk and sat down with the first letter in front of him; this one was sent to him from Rosalina, and smiled as he read through the short reply.

_Dear Mr. Fong,_

_I would be honoured to join your team! Here's my application too._

_Rosalina_

The application form attached to the letter with the BMW M logo had Rosalina's handwriting written on it. Michael took his patience to read through the application, and knew that at once Rosalina would be a driver for the team. He opened the file beside him showing the roster and scribbled the name 'Rosalina' under the drivers list, third to Luigi and Daisy. That was perfect; that meant he needed only one more driver to add to the list.

In addition to Rosalina's letter were the other two replied letters from Yoshi and Birdo, which meant Michael got his wish for a fourth driver. It was hard to believe for Michael that he had sent his requests just 17 hours ago, and after a cup of espresso. He looked and double-checked to make sure that these were letters sent from Yoshi's Island, and he tore them open.

"Ugh…!" Michael grunted as his hand made contact with the slimy substance on the letter. After wiping his hands, he took out the application and began to read.

_Mr. Fong_

_I know I may lack the ability to speak the language, but at the very least I can still write it. It seemed really convenient that Birdo happened to get your letter at the same time as I did. As a result, we worked together on our applications. Please, may they be acceptable._

_Yoshi_

_P.S. One of my Yoshi buddies has heard of your 24 hour race and would like to join your team as a racer, and if nothing else: the guy who helps the car up. Don't worry, I've made a copy of your application and he's probably mailing it to you right now. His name is Boshi, and he's a HUGE racing enthusiast._

As Michael finished, he already knew that he would accept them anyway. But it was a BMW racing protocol; and there was no way around that. He opened the file again and scribbled the names Yoshi and Birdo under the appropriate categories. What bothered him was the copied application sent with Yoshi's. As Assistant President, he might have some reason to accept it as the application itself was legitimate, but not the form. He would have to call the BMW M President to talk about that.

At his convenience, and while the file was still laid out in front of him, Michael took a quick glance at how the roster was doing: he had Luigi, Daisy, Rosalina, and Yoshi as drivers; the team of Toad as tire catchers; Koops and his friends as tire carriers; an integrated team consisting Birdo, the Koopa, and two Toad as wheel gun carriers, and Yoshi's friend Boshi as the bearer of the wheel jack. That was seventeen members altogether; he only needed to wait for the remaining seven members to reply back. He smiled at the thought of their faces when they would realise it would be their friends as their teammates.

He also took out three of his prepared reply letters and wrote down the Comet Observatory's secret address with Rosalina's name on one, the other two addressing to Yoshi's Island, and two more addressing in the Mushroom Kingdom. In the next half hour the mailman would come, and Michael would give the directed letters to him.

**Mushroom Kingdom: 6:15 PM**

"Do we really need to bring any gear on race day?"

"No, I don't think so. Team BMW Motorsport should be able to supply us with what we need."

It was Daisy who brought up the question as she and Luigi were eating dinner; a simple meal comprised of a Mushroom and onions fried and cooked over a stone stove at Daisy's residence, in other words; a Shroom Fry, although it had been Luigi who had done the cooking.

"It's just like yesterday morning all over again, eh?" Luigi briefly said before drinking a bit of his fresh juice.

"You _could_ say that again," Daisy replied. "But this time you did a much better job."

Luigi scoffed, "_You_ helped me out this time. I just need a few more times of practice and I'll get it right. Maybe I'll manage to cook that Mushroom omelette correctly one day."

Daisy smiled and continued to eat her Shroom Fry.

They each had taken a seat opposite to each other and ate their meal. While the sun hadn't set yet, the slightest edge of sunlight was not far from touching the hilltop. The sun would be going down in an hour or two, and so left the two to enjoy some quiet time.

"It's going to be a lovely sunset," Daisy commented.

"Definitely," Luigi agreed. "Hey, how about I cook up a batch of cinnamon Danishes?"

Daisy got up. "No way, I've a better talent for making desserts than you do for sure. Besides, you made dinner, so it's MY turn."

Luigi scoffed again, but knew that he would have lost this argument anyway. "Fair enough."

It was only ten minutes later did Luigi smelled the sweet scent of cinnamon wafting through the air. He decided to do Daisy a favour and helped wash the dishes while the Danishes were baking. As he washed them, he turned his head to look at the oven, but Daisy was in the way. She turned her head to look at him; and Luigi's gaze made eye contact with hers.

"Looking at something, Luigi?" she asked in a light tone.

"Oh! No, of course not!" Luigi replied, his face pink. "I'm just trying to look at dessert."

Daisy laughed. Taking a look at her watch, she said, "It'll be ready soon."

They heard a knock on the door ("I get it," Luigi said,) and Luigi soon came back with a letter in his hand.

"Well, what do you know…" Luigi remarked.

"What…?" Daisy stared. It was a letter marked with the BMW logo on it; and on the return address was a typed out name '**BMW Motorsport**'. They both knew at once that Michael must have sent this as a reply.

"Here, you open it," Luigi handed the letter over to her. She took it and delicately, but hastily, opened it and read it.

"What does it say?" Luigi asked.

"The date of meeting…" Daisy slowly said. "It's scheduled in a week."

She folded the letter and put it aside. Turning to face Luigi, she said, "I don't doubt you've got a letter, too."

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to check," he responded. "But first… how about we finish making those Danishes?"

"Hey! They're already done!" Daisy clapped her hand on Luigi's arm.

The tray was taken out of the oven with steaming hot pastries on it. Daisy took one for herself and another for Luigi, who chewed it slowly and gave his compliments to Daisy, which she accepted.


	5. Engineering Wisdom

**Thanks to The Rogue Phoenix and Sweet Andraste for their support.**

* * *

><p><em><span><strong>Chapter five<strong>_

**Princess Peach's Castle: 8:00 AM**

**19 Days before the 24 Hour Race**

"Let me get this straight again; _they_ want _us_ to be the engineers for Team BMW Motorsport?"

"Of course. After all, you _are_ a veteran, and you should be used to having the power to give orders to the other Toad. This would suit you fine! Plus, I am capable of knowledge about cars as well, along with my massive mind of intelligence."

Toadsworth had received the letter from BMW Motorsport suggesting that he be an engineer for the team, and while being sure or not what to do; he decided to consult Skolar: a purple Star Spirit with glasses and a moustache, who had also received a similar letter from BMW M.

To Toadsworth, the BMW general manager wrote:

_Even though I've heard of your support at the Special Cup Tour, I know you are more than capable of the knowledge of a car and, more importantly, communication. With our drivers, mechanics, and BMW Motorsport personnel all busy, you need to keep all of them in check. Furthermore, you are charged with representing our team to the media along with the other engineer. Knowledge and organisation are also key to the role as well, and since this IS the Nürburgring…_

Skolar's letter included:

…_your limitless knowledge, as I've read in the Mushroom Kingdom archives, is impossible to describe in words. I hope I am not asking too much of you in joining Team BMW Motorsport. I'm simply here to look for participants from this country. That is simply all I'm saying…_

In the rest of the letter described the details of the engineer's role.

"So basically," Toadsworth started. "Is there any more we need to do? We have all the knowledge, right? We need to organise test runs; keep the vehicle's condition perfect –"

"We also need to keep in touch with the driver and more importantly decide how the car will be changed when it arrives to stop," Skolar interrupted. "Another cruel part of the job is that we need to continually update weather conditions every so often; and I mean minutes. As Mr. Fong has so thoroughly and particularly explained in the letter; we need to ensure the car's best performance on the track as well as from the drivers too."

Toadsworth got up and paced back and forth in front of the terrace where he and Skolar were meeting. To Skolar, it looked like Toadsworth was pacing with mixed thoughts of frustration and uncertainty in his head. He kept up this pace for some time.

"I don't know… it could be quite the burden, don't you think?" he asked. "I've faced so many problems in the castle before, but this is overdoing it!"

"Oh, this is alright," Skolar remarked. "Besides, I've had a little more trouble with organising Parties than with this, and this is just a single event!"

"Car conditions; tedious weather updates; team morale; _the press…!_ And we've got to do this for how long? 24 hours!" Toadsworth complained. "Imagine… I'm getting too old for this."

"And your point…?" Skolar asked, and waited patiently for his answer.

Toadsworth couldn't think of a way to reply that, and he kept pacing back and forth again with his walking stick; thinking not only of a straight answer to him, but also whether he should join. He turned to face Skolar again.

"I know this is a legendary event that's lasted for decades and decades," he said slowly. "But _think – about – it!_ It's a 24 hour race! How do we stay awake for that amount of time?!"

Skolar turned his back to begin writing his reply to General Manager Michael Fong, and answering Toadsworth at the same time. "I'll leave that to your conscience, sir. But this is a one time chance we've got here; and if I were you, I wouldn't waste it. If you really are going to join, fill in the application."

At that, Skolar began to write his grateful reply to Michael, leaving Toadsworth with his dilemmatic and confused thoughts.

He stared at the application form laid on the desk front of him, but he didn't sit. Rather, he continued to pace and think.

**Princess Peach's Castle: 8:57 AM**

Toadsworth exited to the castle grounds of Princess Peach's property to place his letter in the mailbox. He had made up his mind: he was going to take on the task of being an engineer for Team BMW Motorsport for the 24 Hours, in spite that he would have to leave the castle for a while.

"So you've decided to go?" a voice said out of the blue.

Toadsworth jumped.

"I'm sorry, Toadsworth. 'Didn't mean to frighten you," said the voice of Skolar, and he appeared right beside him. "So what made you think?"

Toadsworth took a breath. "Well, I'm not really into doing the racing; but the Special Cup Tour's been in my head thanks to you. I think I'd give it a shot at the organisation; even though there's a heavyweight attached to it."

"Don't worry," Skolar assured. "You've got me on your side. As we're both knowledge powers, we'll manage."

_Now_ Toadsworth was a little more comfortable, but not enough to hold down all the debating thoughts in his mind, and the two slid their letters into the mailbox.


	6. The Unexpected Prospects

_**Chapter six**_

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 12:00 PM**

**19 Days before the start of the 24 Hour Race: the same day…**

BMW M assistant president and general manager Michael Fong selected a spinach and cheese sandwich from the newly opened café in the formerly BMW-rented building. Just eight hours ago, the BMW head office in Germany purchased the property surrounding the building and not to mention the building itself. Now that they didn't need to rent it, BMW at their convenience transformed the building into an office and dealership in the Mushroom Kingdom.

Additionally, this meant BMW mechanics and other workers could come to help them too.

Michael brought his sandwich to his new office for a quick lunch break. He had no doubt that the race team would be ready soon, as he had just received letters from both Toadsworth and Skolar saying they would be happy to come to the race. He only needed to mail them letters of the date of meeting, but before he could do that, he added their names to the roster.

_Only two mechanics,_ Michael thought. _That's all I need._

Of course, he needed a crew chief, but he already had in mind the ideal person for the job, and the letter he sent to him should come back soon enough. Michael unwrapped the sandwich he bought and took two bites from it before continuing his work.

Knock, knock.

"Come in," Michael said casually.

The door swung wide open to reveal two figures. One was an extremely massive, and muscular, monkey with a red tie, the other a blue Yoshi wearing intimidating sunglasses. Michael looked up from his desk and was startled.

"Whoa!" he said in surprise. "What – who are you – two?"

The monkey came first and was known as Donkey Kong, the one Michael had mailed to days before. Donkey Kong slapped the application form he received, and to Michael it was the messiest writing he had ever seen so far. But nevertheless it was sufficient.

"Okay, DK. I won't ask why you're here, but I will explain what you need to do," Michael leaned closer to him. "Do you think you could handle carrying about seventy litres of gas into a car _safely_? It's fairly heavy and possibly dangerous if not done right."

Donkey Kong responded with a few laughs, low barks, and motion language. For Michael, it was enough for him to understand what the message DK was trying to get at.

"I see," Michael said. "No, I didn't mean to offend or underestimate your strength; I just wanted to make sure you could do the job, that's all. In fact, I hope you can manage safety and efficiency at the same time for _24 hours_. We'll get some practice with the car in a week, okay?"

Donkey Kong nodded.

Michael wasn't entirely convinced that DK understood, and decided to give him some pictures of the role he was to do. That is, both day and night.

"You need to understand to obey orders from our engineers and crew chief," Michael added. "If you don't, you might compromise the race.

DK stared at the pictures for a minute and gave Michael a thumbs-up.

"Very well, then!" Michael took out his roster file and wrote down Donkey Kong's name under fuel tank holder, and then extended his hand to him. "Welcome to Team BMW Motorsport, Donkey Kong."

DK, instead of shaking Michael's hand, slapped at large hand into it instead in a high-five motion. Michael smiled weakly as he took his hand back, which along with his arm was shaking badly.

"N – No problem," he stammered. "Come back here in five days: I've scheduled a meeting with all members of Team BMW M here, and then we'll depart for Germany the day after. I've just got to make sure we have a full team before we continue."

Donkey Kong nodded again and left the room, which left the blue Yoshi with sunglasses to deal with now.

"And you are…?"

"I'm Boshi," the Yoshi replied curtly. "I suppose you've heard of my application already? Cause I'm just here to see if it works. Well?! Doesn't it?!"

Michael didn't show any sign of ignorance, but decided not to answer in words. He still had the roster file wide open in front of him, so he might as well check.

"Let's see… _Boshi_…" he said quietly. "_Right._ You applied for being our jack. I do wonder though; you're a competitive person, so why the jack?"

"I'm a pretty fast Yoshi," Boshi boasted. "Maybe even the fastest one out there. If I had heard of your coming earlier, I would have applied to be a driver. But I only heard of your team from Yoshi, so I figured you sent letters to other drivers too."

Michael blinked, and said, "You're right. But as far as your speed goes, why didn't you apply for wheel guns, for example? They take speed as well, and the jack needs accuracy to perform best."

"I've been through years of racing," Boshi cut in. "I know a lot of tricks when it comes to speed _and_ accuracy, and I know that's key. You might not know this, Mr. Fong, but I've operated an air jack for five months before I started getting competitive, so don't underestimate me!"

"I'm not," Michael replied. "We'll test out your skill at the Nürburgring when we get there. For the time being, I'll see you at the meeting. Team BMW Motorsport welcomes you, Boshi, and come back in five days, like I just said earlier."

Boshi gave a short word of thanks and left the room.

Now Michael used his remaining time to finish eating his sandwich and gave a self-overview of his roster and what needed to done.

_I only need to wait for the letters from the mechanics to come back_, he thought. _In the meantime, I better get the reply letters sent._

He had the letters of date of meeting ready to be sent to Toadsworth and Skolar; Koops and his friends; and the team of Toad civilians in the Mushroom Kingdom. Fortunately, all the letters were addressed in the same country, so Michael could expect a quick delivery.

Finally, he took the wrapper of the sandwich he had just ate and disposed of in the trash.

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 1:25 PM**

Michael had an entire package of letters to be mailed to the Mushroom Kingdom. Overall, the amount he was sending was ten letters at once; with each one imprinted with '**BMW Motorsport**'. He could only imagine the small trouble he would be giving to the mailman.


	7. Trouble Brews

_**Chapter seven**_

**Bowser's Castle: 9:15 AM**

**18 Days before the start of the 24 Hour Race**

"I don't BELIEVE IT!" roared the Koopa King.

"What is it, papa?" asked his son.

"I've just received word from my contact in the Mushroom Kingdom that a motor sport team has been prospecting citizens around the country to join their effort in a race, AND _I_ wasn't invited!"

Bowser had just received the message fifteen minutes earlier; it stated the car manufacturer BMW had been in the Mushroom Kingdom looking for members to participate in the 24 Hour Race at the Nürburgring. To him, it just wasn't fair that he wasn't in the team.

He and Bowser Jr. were in the castle's main foyer. Bowser, aware that excitement in the country had risen to a considerable level, asked his contact to investigate what was going on.

Now, he was even more outraged at the news that Luigi _and_ Daisy were in the race, too.

"Oh come on, papa!" shouted Bowser Jr. "Your seventh place finish wasn't all that bad at the Special Cup Tour. At least you survived it!"

Bowser couldn't really find an answer to that, as he swerved his gaze to the kart he used in the Tour, which was very badly beaten and half-destroyed. It was a mark of victory and defeat that proved while he may have survived the Tour in one piece, he couldn't defeat Mario or Luigi and, worst of all, Daisy who itched past him in the last race by a point.

"Well. Sure I survived the race, but I'm not skipping out on this chance to show my racing skills in front of the Mushroom Kingdom!" Bowser roared.

The thing was: Bowser wanted to show that _he_ was the superior racer, despite that Mario finished first in the Special Cup Tour. If only he could get that one chance to personally humiliate Mario in front of all those people, let alone those in the Mushroom Kingdom.

"I've made my decision!" Bowser roared again. "We will participate in this 24 hour race! We will put together a team, and then we race! Even if it means by sabotage!"

Bowser Jr. shook his head. "Think, papa! TWENTY FOUR HOURS! You can't even stay awake to sabotage them in team! Plus, we need to race, too! Why don't we just grab a fast car, and race?"

Bowser also shook his head in response. "In that case, we need to get a good company to sponsor us and a whole bunch of team members. I want nothing less than _the best of the best_. Is that clear, Jr.?!"

"Right…" Bowser Jr. shrugged. "Which company do you want to use?"

"I want the company who's been dominating this '24 hour race'. This must be the best of the best; and it's one that rivals BMW. I just can't remember the name! Jr.! Go right now to do some research and find me that company!" he barked.

"Right away."

While Bowser Jr. went off to a computer to investigate, Bowser decided to get some 'friends' of his, or rather his contacts, to put together a team for the race. From what he knew, some of them didn't even make it in the Special Cup Tour. Now, he just might be able to revive their reputations in a 24 hour race, even though they wouldn't be racing.

_BMW will _regret_ for not picking me to be on their team!_ Bowser thought. _If they don't pick the best driver from the Mushroom Kingdom on their team, that is, me; I'll bring them down myself!_

"Oi! Papa!" Bowser Jr. shouted. "I've discovered the race is at a place called the 'Nürburgring' –"

"What do I care?!" Bowser's rage was rising.

"But – 88 corners and over 20 kilometres a lap! Do you think we'll survive that into the night to the break of dawn?"

"Heh! With a little tweaking of the car from our friends, we're bound to win! Jr.! Where's that racing car? Have you found it yet?!" he shouted.

Bowser Jr.'s face was flat. "Oh, alright. The company is called 'Ferrari'; they specialise in making supercars. If you like, we can get them to sponsor us a car for the race."

Bowser was skeptical. Not because they would sponsor them a car, but that their performance wouldn't be as good as expected, so asked, "What's their winning record on this 'Nürburgring'?"

"Not a lot of overall wins, lately –" Bowser Jr. began.

"NO. We need a car that we can modify extensively for ourselves," Bowser curtly cut in. "The car must ALSO fit my size! Plus: _didn't you hear me?_ A company that's been having a good winning record! We need the best!"

Bowser Jr. made a face, and typed in several keys in the computer again.

"Let's see… there's a good ranged company called Volkswagen… one called Subaru… oh yeah, there's Bugatti," he read out.

"Bugatti?" Bowser raised an eyebrow. "How's their record?"

"Well, according to a record from Nürburgring, they never actually entered a car in the race because the car itself is so expensive. Still, it's one of the fastest cars ever created in the known world."

Bowser was just about to say something when Bowser Jr. cut in in front of him.

"Papa Bowser. If you're going to make a team to enter the race, you also need a motorsport company to back you up."

"That's no sweat!" Bowser raised a fist. "We're going to make a motorsport company; right now!"

Now it was almost Bowser Jr.'s turn to say something, but Bowser was already off.

"I'M OFF TO CONTACT BUGATTI! AS FOR YOU: CREATE A MOTORSPORT COMPANY WITHIN THE HOUR!" he roared. "WHEN THAT'S DONE, WE'LL GET SOME RECRUITS!"

Then Bowser blew a roaring flame into the air to exhaust and filter his rage. Then he walked away to make his historic phone call. Jr. shrugged again and started to draft a plan for the team name.

**Bowser's Castle: 12:58 PM**

Hours later, Bowser returned to the foyer with a face showing a sense of triumph. That was typical of Bowser; at least that was what Bowser Jr. normally thought.

"Okay… what did you do, papa?"

"I did it!" Bowser said proudly. "Bugatti is going to donate us a genuine stock car! We just need to modify it by ourselves! Jr.! How's the company going?"

Bowser Jr. uploaded the file he was working extensively on onto the computer. After that, he took out a massive banner and unfurled it on the ground.

"Here's the name of our authentic racing team company!"

Bowser looked at the massive black and red banner that lay on the floor in front of him. It was mainly black with the Bowser emblem emblazoned on the side of the banner, and in red the upper case letters were titled and decorated the majority of the banner: **Bowser Motorsport Racing**.

"O-kay," Bowser picked it up to examine it right. "Yep! It'll do!"

"What's the car we're getting, papa?"

Bowser put down the banner. "We're getting a nice Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport. I specifically requested they could make the car convertible so I can fit in the car. They were happy to oblige when I said it would be used at the Nürburgring."

Bowser Jr. searched the car on the internet. "Oh… nice choice, that thing's a powerhouse! Just wait 'til Bowser Motorsport gets their hands on that! We're going to make history!"

"Speaking of," Bowser Jr. continued. "Who's on the team?"

Bowser scratched his head, which prompted Jr. to laugh.

"Don't worry, papa! I'll give you some time to think who to recruit! As a reward, you get to go to their doorsteps, too! Shall I give you the kinds of people you need for a team?"

Bowser gave no answer and shoved Bowser Jr. away to look. His setup needed four drivers: that meant himself and Jr., which left two spaces.

_I have no idea who to pick, but I'll think of someone_, he thought. As for the pit stop crew, which comprised of wheel gun carriers, jacks, tire changers, fire extinguishers… his army could fulfil that purpose.

This left a position for a fuel tank holder, engineers, mechanics, a crew chief…

"I'm sure Grodus wouldn't mind if you ask him to spare some time as a mechanic for our team, don't you think, papa?"

"WHAT…! GRODUS?!" Bowser yelled. "The maniac tried to annihilate the entire universe with his deeds! The Thousand-Year Door! Remember?!"

"But!" Bowser Jr. cut in. "He has all the technology we need! He can help us build the ultimate endurance machine. After all, we want to make up for that loss at the Special Cup Tour, right?"

"Good point," Bowser agreed.

**Bowser's Castle: 6:30 PM**

"I've got a suggested list of recruits, papa," Bowser Jr. announced and handed Bowser a list. "You should take a look. By the way, when's our car arriving?"

Bowser was busy reading through the list, but spared time to answer. "We're not getting the car _here_. We're going to modify it at the Nürburgring. We'll give BMW Motorsport a surprise where they least expect it. With our recruits –"

"Papa, I should also tell you that Luigi and Daisy are also driving for BMW Motorsport as well…" Bowser Jr. cut in for the second or third time.

Bowser lifted his head from the list and stared into space, and an evil smile spread across his mouth.

"Very good, very good… we'll be able to smash some reputations on the way… and give those two a very warm welcome… Muahahaaha!"

With that, Bowser gave the list back to his son and began to contact recruits for his team.

* * *

><p><strong>The Bowser Motorsport Racing team in a nutshell... and can you imagine the kind of car the car they chose to use?! A Bugatti Veyron...<strong>


	8. Mechanized Specialists

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 5:00 PM**

**17 Days before the start of the 24 Hour Race**

In the BMW building, Michael was beginning to get worried. It had been… what? Four or five days had passed since he sent his letters to his requested mechanics. While he managed to get flag positions, window wipers, and door assistants from BMW. It wouldn't be long until the meeting, which was scheduled in three days. Most importantly: the requested crew chief hadn't replied to him yet.

_Come on…!_ Michael urged himself. _How much longer?_

He turned to his desk to check his roster once more; the spaces for mechanics were still empty, which set him on edge. If all else failed, he would have to get mechanics from BMW to finish the job. But this went against his goal that he _would_ get mainly Mushroom Kingdom participants. He needed to keep waiting, but in the meantime what could he do?

Michael took out a second file which outlined aspects of the scheduled meeting. It also mentioned that the night after the meeting would be the time to head to Germany. The only problem was that Michael needed to know the amount of people who would be on the flight: so he would have to wait a bit for more responses to his roster.

_Schubert Motorsport_, Michael thought.

In addition, the motorsport company that would have backed up Team BMW Motorsport would be Schnitzer Motorsport. But unfortunately, due to DTM commitments Schnitzer couldn't participate in the 24-hour-race. So instead, another racing team called Schubert Motorsport was chosen to represent BMW at the race. Schubert had kindly collaborated with BMW to modify and engineer two finely tuned race cars. One would be used for Luigi and Daisy and the other would be for the German drivers. As for the pit crew, Schubert agreed that Michael's prospects would be for the team for both cars.

The file finally disclosed photos of a BMW M3 and undecorated identical race cars of the renowned and powerful BMW M3 GT, but it was retired. Right now, the M3 GT was not unlike a stock M3; except for the tall rear spoiler adding extra down force and aerodynamics on the car. The spoiler was raised to a height where it was equivalent to the car's top! But since the BMW M3 GT was now retired, BMW switched to entering the BMW Z4 GT3.

The BMW Z4 GT3 was slightly different than its template, given it had strengthening aerodynamic parts all around including a low rear spoiler that was near identical with its hood. Unlike its base car, which had a V6 cylinder engine, the BMW Z4 GT3 boasted the heart of the BMW M3 within: a 4.4 litre V8 engine. It was all in compliance with FIA GT3 regulations.

According to BMW Motorsport's report: the Z4 GT3s would arrive in Germany in two days; and that left an additional two days for them to fine tune the car before Michael's team would arrive at the Nürburgring.

The bottom line remained, though, Michael still needed mechanics.

**Circuit Break Island: 5:01 PM**

"How much would you rate the Special Cup Tour?"

"I'd say… it's not the same as our racing here. We stick with the extreme karts; they don't do that. But I suppose that's fine: they live with that."

"So what exactly are you working on now?"

"I'm invited to participate in the most extreme sport there ever is from BMW. Seriously… a 24 hour race. Grand Touring, you know. I definitely don't want to miss this."

Torque, a Spike Top with instead of a spike had a wrench, had an almost limitless passion for Grand Touring ever since he heard of it, but never got the opportunity to get a team to sponsor him. Now might be his best chance. He was conversing with one of his fellow friends near the race track's finish line.

As a veteran mechanic of karts with his handpicked first-class set of tools; he had more than enough experience to fix up a kart on his own in minutes. He even possessed the capability to build his own kart! The extent of repairs and racing he went through earned his mechanic skills to almost legendary status.

Michael cut straight to the point when Torque read his letter.

_Greetings, Torque,_

_It is with great pleasure that I, Michael Fong, General Manager and Assistant President of BMW M, am personally inviting you to participate as a mechanic in Team BMW Motorsport with welcome. You probably may not have heard of us: we specialise in the world of Grand Touring racing with our prestigious M3, and have seen countless victories over decades of racing. Races like the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the American Le Mans Series are among our various participations._

_As we progress into the racing season this year; ADAC of Germany is hosting the most renowned race in the world; the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. I am visiting the Mushroom Kingdom on BMW M's behalf in the hope that drivers here may have the chance to participate in this legendary race this year, since I've heard of some talented drivers in kart racing and the Special Cup Tour._

_Of course, though, I'm not in the market for drivers alone. I am also in need of members for a pit stop crew as well. I've read in my files and Mushroom Kingdom archives about Mario Kart, recently; and there can be no doubt I noticed your name amongst the top ranks. This sharpened my interest in your possible skill in motor sport and therefore I think you will find Grand Touring a prime time to show your talent with tuning a GT3 car. Even though I've already gathered half the team, your position is just as important as others._

_I'm quite optimistic and certain you could stay awake for 24 hours in the Nürburgring. Don't worry, we have sleeping pods available in the Team BMW Motorsport pit stop area at your disposal should you get tired. If no one is there to help out as a mechanic, our partner Schubert Motorsport will ensure what to do while you rest._

_To finish my invitation; I've included an application for you to fill out to enter Team BMW Motorsport. Mail this application back to me, and I'll send you a date of meeting. I trust your skills will be invaluable to support every aspect of Team BMW Motorsport this year. I'm not forcing you to join, otherwise you probably won't come at all, but rather I want you to participate in this 24 hour race for your benefit and Team BMW Motorsport._

_Sincerely,_

_Michael Fong_

_BMW Motorsport Assistant President and General Manager_

Torque had already lined up and organised his trusty tool kit: his signature torque wrench; standard wrenches of multiple shapes and sizes; many screwdrivers; measuring equipment… the bottom line was that there was a _lot_ of tools. With the knowledge of actually knowing where the tools were allowed Torque's performance to fix a car within the quickest time possible.

"Is your application done, Torque?" his friend asked.

"Oh, yeah. Here it is."

Torque passed his application to his friend, and he would then mail it to the Mushroom Kingdom to the BMW dealership and office. But first…

"I'll need ten coins for the mailing fee."

"Here's a few. Take an extra five for the road," Torque said and passed a stack of coins to his friend. Hopefully, his application would get through so he could give the 24 hour race a shot.

**Gadd Science Incorporated Laboratory: 5:01 PM**

"Yes, indeed," the shrill voice of a calm yet frantic scientist in a white coat said.

Professor Elvin Gadd, or E. Gadd as he was known, made the final conference conclusions to his crew's yearly meeting. The Gadd Science Inc. had proposed at the conference to build a prototype hybrid engine that used air and carbon as a fuel. Although ineffective, the engine sparked more ideas in the minds of the employees to make improvements.

"Professor Gadd," an employee spoke up. "Would it be possible to incorporate this sort of… device as a motor?"

"I assure you," E. Gadd said. "This is power of the sort that could fuel a jet, or a passenger airline at the very least. But the engine has yet to be indestructible. I suggest we keep it at a small scale for now… like powering a furnace or one of our lab machines…"

The motor was put on display on E. Gadd's presenting desk. To everyone's surprise; it was a moderately sized machine. In spite of its size; the amount of horsepower, as E. Gadd had explained, might be powerful enough to fuel a jet. According to their files, several litres for each engine would power it with enough energy for the jet to run for an hour.

"Where exactly in… a furnace would you put this motor, Professor Gadd?" asked another employee. "Certainly it wouldn't go on the exterior, right?"

"With – ahahaha – respect to you," E. Gadd answered. "You're right and wrong at the same time. Depending on where it's used, this really _doesn't_ go on the exterior, which is why we put it inside an aircraft. But we can use it to power something else, like you said: a furnace. We just need to attach some sort of cord…"

At that point, E. Gadd gave the motor to one of his assistants.

"Very well, we shall proceed with the project in time. For safety regulations, we may need to keep the motor in containment in case something bad happens. But allow me to finish our meeting by saying… keep on working on this project."

Everyone stood up, each giving a curt nod, and started packing.

* * *

><p>E. Gadd had received a letter from a racing company called Team BMW Motorsport and was partly eager to read what it said. Even though Gadd had never been a fan of racing, let alone seeing an actual race, he had seen enough of the Special Cup Tour and Mario Kart to get the picture what it was like.<p>

Amongst his creations, the Poltergust 4000 was one of his proudest inventions to the contribution of Mario Kart. Currently, it sat in one of the displays of Gadd Science Inc.

He had the letter with him, which was sent from a man called Michael Fong, marked with the words **BMW Motorsport**, and reread it on his way back to his office.

An excerpt read:

_Well, I'm quite interested in your – for lack of better word – knowledge of machinery in the area. I've read about you in the Mushroom Kingdom archives and your connection with motor sport: the Poltergust 4000 by Gadd Science Incorporated! Who would have thought you, in spite of your achievements in science, built a racing kart prototype?! As I have told other applicants to do; you need to fill out an application form if you want to join our effort in the 24 hour race of Nürburgring. If I managed to persuade you, and I hope did, to join Team BMW Motorsport as a mechanic; fill out the application. As a mechanic for our team, I hope you can prove yourself useful to repair a car as quickly as possible. Consider this a time to taste what a 24 hour storm feels like…_

E. Gadd found the application form marked with the BMW M logo inside the envelope as well. With some delay, he went to his office to grab one of his pens. Gadd had to agree with Michael; he had a splendid skill with building and repairing machinery; his Poltergust 4000 was proof of that.

However, he also noted that the race (as Michael had put in the letter) was to be held in less than three weeks. He would need to leave Gadd Science for a while to participate in the race. But in his head, he knew it was something worth doing. In the letter, Michael also said to mail his response _as soon as possible_, so he might as well fill out the application now.

Unfortunately, he didn't have a pen on him.

E. Gadd finally made it to the door of his office at last. He, looking through his strange lenses, picked up a pen on his desk and began to write as much as he could on the application form (within reason, of course). As intelligent with machines as he might be, years of working with tools heightened his hand reflexes; and he managed to write on the form what he wanted before even thinking about it!

**Gadd Science Incorporated Lab: 5:52 PM**

The thing was, E. Gadd was simply too good for applications. As a founder, he had enough familiarity with applications of other Gadd Science employees to deal with. Still, Michael Fong needed an essay for him to enter Team BMW Motorsport. In less than an hour, Gadd had finished the essay and was ready to mail it to Michael.

_And he says he'll send back a date of meeting_, E. Gadd thought. _Heh! It better be quick._

He walked to one of his transports, and prepared a trip to the nearest postal office with his application in hand. The reply letter was labelled, 'Michael Fong, BMW Motorsport'.


	9. The Driver Lineup

_**Chapter nine**_

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 7:00 AM**

**16 Days before the 24 Hour Race**

It was early, but that didn't prevent BMW General Manager Michael Fong from getting up. What was on his mind, though, was excitement. Only yesterday, he received reply letters from his applicants for mechanics. Torque, in particular, was even willing to join! Michael wasn't surprised, but was still glad that this enabled for the team to proceed to almost completion.

The only team member that was missing, as he noted in the roster file, was a crew chief. Even though it had been roughly a week since he sent his letter to his requested applicant; he still anticipated that a letter would arrive, sooner or later.

"So it's almost done," Michael said to himself.

What he meant was the remaining reply letters he had prepared to send to E. Gadd and Torque. With a sense of excitement racing through his mind again, he went out early to the local postal office. His hope that BMW might get a win at this year's Nürburgring might come true at last.

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 7:20 AM**

"Oh, it's you. Are you here to send more letters of yours again?"

Michael had taken his BMW 330i for a spin to the post office. As much as he'd like to drive leisurely, he had the heavyweight of the 24 hour race on his head. He decided to make the trip as quick as possible, and then he would head back to his office to complete the applications he was mailed.

Right now, he had the two letters ready to be sent. With the frequent visits he made to send invitation letters to his personal requests, the post office workers had entirely gotten used to his presence.

"You're right," Michael replied. "I assure you, these are some of the last of my letters."

"I'm glad that BMW is here to visit the Mushroom Kingdom," the worker replied. "But I'm also curious as to what they're, or rather you, are doing here."

Michael covered his mouth to hide a yawn. "I'm getting members here to join a motor sport team in a 24 hour race. You know, I've heard of feats here of the Special Cup Tour. If racers and motor sport is as good as I hear from here, they'll make an excellent appearance in the race."

The post worker smiled. "Wow. You're getting guys from here to participate in some crazy event. It must be exhilarating."

"It's actually more of an honour to them to represent the Mushroom Kingdom too," Michael added. "Just wait until the race."

"The Mushroom Kingdom residents might want to watch the event live," the worker said with a small smile. "You've got the Mushroom Kingdom behind you guys! Anyway, that'll be twelve coins."

Michael reached into his pocket and took out two coins: one valued at ten, the other valued at five; and handed them over for payment. The worker then exchanged three coins to Michael and gave a word of thanks, which Michael returned.

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 3:10 PM**

The roster file lay open in front of Michael's desk. But Michael wasn't the one looking at it.

"This is your roster?" asked another person.

Michael unexpectedly had an executive representative from BMW in Germany to oversee his team. Michael wasn't a fluent speaker in German, but fortunately the representative spoke English flawlessly.

"You may take a good look, if you like. But I've no doubt you will."

The BMW rep took his time to oversee Michael's work. With his laptop in hand, he copied the entire file onto a document.

"Tell me," he said to Michael. "Do you think these members could take on supporting _both_ of our race cars? Or do we need backup?"

"I'm sure that they could handle it," Michael firmly replied. "But I've got two things for you: a question and a request."

"Let's start with the request."

"Okay," Michael Fong started. "Uh… I couldn't _really_ find good positions for those holding the fire extinguisher and a flag man. Do you think –?"

"Wait," the rep cut in. "You're Assistant President and General Manager! Couldn't you find members from BMW _M_ to get the job done?"

Michael paused. "Let me rephrase that: could you get members from Team BMW Motorsport to fill in those positions when you get back to Germany? I haven't got time on my hands."

The rep added notes to his laptop. "Okay. Anyway, apart from your members, we've got at least sixty other members to keep the BMW Z4 GT3 on the track. So what's your second question?"

"I'd like to look at who's in the lineup for the second Z4; just in case that we would need members from her again."

A swift motion of the laptop in Michael's direction, and he soon found himself looking at a short list of drivers for the other BMW Z4. It only showed their last names, though.

**J. Müller, D. Müller, A. Farfus, U. Alzen,**

"These are the other drivers," the rep said. "It's pretty much all German, with the exception of Farfus, who's a Brazilian. Of course, our long time driver Jörg Müller will be in the start."

"Also," the rep continued. "ADAC has done the job of giving out our start numbers. Your team of drivers will be operating with the number 18 car; Müller and the rest of them will be operating under the number 17 car."

Michael made his notes, and nodded to the rep.

He handed back the roster file to Michael.

"Okay, I suppose that your team members will pass entry into BMW Motorsport for sure. Even though that you're probably going to get them in anyway. Just remember that they need to be in Germany in time for qualification to drive the BMW Z4 GT3."

"We're actually thinking of giving our drivers some time to practice with the Z4 before the qualifying rounds. I'm thinking… a thousand test laps."

The BMW rep got up. "That'll be your choice, Mr. Fong. Just make sure your timeline will fit with ADAC's. You've got about – what – fourteen days before qualifying starts."

"I assure you," Michael got up also. "It will be done efficiently as possible."

They shook hands, and the BMW rep left the building as Michael turned to look at his timeline.

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 4:46 PM**

A man with a bag of letters went inside the BMW dealership to the front desk, where a team of three receptionists were on duty. He went up to them, took out a letter, and placed it on the desk.

"This is BMW, I'm sure?" he asked them.

"Look around you," one receptionist said politely. "There are at least two dozen models on display in this dealership. Of course this is BMW! Why so?"

"I've got a letter here addressed to this place. Now don't ask me what it is, I just deliver."

The second receptionist took it and nodded to the third one, who was standing.

"Take this to…" she read. "Mr. Fong."

The third receptionist straightened his tie and took the letter to Michael Fong's office. He walked up a flight of stairs to the second level where Michael's office of nearly glass walls stood: overlooking the entire dealership showroom.

He knocked on the door, and a voice said, "Come in."

Letter in hand, the receptionist walked up to Michael and said, "The mailman personally came to drop by today. There's a letter addressed to you and, I think, it's something important. After all, it's asking for your attention too: it's sent from the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Thank you. I'll look into it."

Minutes later, Michael opened the letter he received.

_Ah… finally,_ he thought with satisfaction.

It was a reply letter and application from his requested crew chief, and he replied with a 'Yes' to join the 24 hour race. Immediately Michael began to write out his final reply letter.


	10. Night Raid

_**Chapter ten**_

**Bowser's Castle: 11:45 PM**

**16 Days before the 24 Hour Race: that night…**

Bowser Jr. could tell his father was happy. The delivery of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport had proven successful, and Bowser was ready to have Bowser Motorsport fine tune the car as soon as they had arrived at the Nürburgring.

Right now, they were preparing to leave for Germany to modify the car as soon as possible.

"Are the other team members going there as well, papa?"

"You got it!" Bowser punched a fist into the air. "We'll build the ultimate racing machine as soon as possible. I've already sent for the other team members to meet us at the Nürburgring too."

Before Bowser Jr. could speak, Bowser continued to talk.

"Speaking of, do you have the right parts to modify the car? We'll need a good engine, suspension, brakes, etcetera, etcetera…"

Jr.'s face lit up with a big smile. "Guess what, papa? I've heard that there's an extremely powerful engine out in the Mushroom Kingdom! It's supposed to be under the supervision of Gadd Sciences…"

"Gadd Science?" Bowser said skeptically. "Can anything good come out of that place?! I've only heard of ridiculous inventions like ghost sucking vacuums and weapons of little destruction."

"Don't forget!" Bowser Jr. reminded. "His industry invented the F.L.U.D.D. nozzle too! It's too bad that most of the stuff they make is prototypes."

Bowser smacked his head. "Hey. Why bring Gadd Science into the subject anyway?"

Bowser Jr. took his computer to show his father the prototype hybrid engine that Gadd Science Inc. had posted on the website. Fortunately for Bowser, the website also included details of the engine as well as the statistics on power and displacement too.

The engine was extremely compact, as the screen data included scale to size as well. It was then Bowser had a keen but monstrous idea.

"I'm thinking… this engine could be the answer to all our problems! We could survive the race maintaining fuel efficiency – and we won't need a lot of pit stops either!"

Jr. shook his head. "But what if we need a strategy to complete the race?! Certainly an engine like that won't survive on its own for twenty four hours! Gadd Science says it's a prototype too!"

Bowser pushed him outside to the entrance doors. "We'll talk strategy when the car's actually there. Come on, this will solve us a whole bunch of problems not to mention a lot of time when we're there! Plus, the race isn't far off from now! Just go steal that engine, and then we'll take it to Germany. Above all, don't cause any disturbances. This is a stealth mission."

Bowser Jr. nodded half-motivated and half-resented, and walked outside to begin a trip to the Gadd Science Incorporated laboratory.

**Gadd Science Incorporated Laboratory: 1:32 AM**

**15 Days before the 24 Hour Race**

The doors of the laboratory were, to no surprise, closed. However, Bowser Jr. had plenty of experience in this sort of work. Instead, he decided to climb the building's outer wall to gain access to the rooftop.

As he expected, there were ventilation ducts on the top. Bowser Jr. breathed a flame into the wire grille, and half the contraption was molten… down into the bottom. He climbed himself into the vent and began his infiltration on the Gadd Science lab.

To Bowser Jr.'s surprise, the security system in the lab was down for maintenance, and that the only means of security was just a surveillance robot patrolling the lab's exterior; much to Bowser Jr.'s convenience.

The file he uploaded on the computer however didn't reveal details of the hybrid engine's whereabouts. But the one clue that he could scrape was the background on the engine's picture, which was a metallic blue wall. So Bowser Jr. began to make his search for that room.

_This place is poorly guarded,_ Bowser Jr. thought. _There must be a catch._

But there wasn't, and within an hour…

**Gadd Science Laboratory: 2:15 AM**

He walked through the dark hallways and investigating each room he passed. To Bowser Jr., each room only had unidentifiable inventions of Gadd Science and charts, plans… lots of stuff.

However, of all rooms that he searched, the room he was looking turned out to be in the basement floor. It was just a coincidence that he came across a map of the lab, and he chose to take a look at what the basement floor might behold.

"If nothing else," Bowser Jr. said to himself. "I might as well search a different lab."

He pushed open a nearby door and soon found himself in a metallic blue room with a glass ceiling. He squirmed to look into the dark room.

Suddenly, a bright light shined from the ceiling and beamed down onto a circular table in the middle of the room; sitting neatly on that table was a –


	11. BMW Motorsport: The Gathering

**A credit goes to AdmiralBobbery for keeping track of this story, and also brownie points(?), probably.**

* * *

><p><em><span><strong>Chapter eleven<strong>_

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 10:01 AM**

**14 Days before the 24 Hour Race**

"Come on, Luigi! You know he doesn't like to be late!" Daisy said happily.

"I wish I could say the same," Luigi shot back. "Besides, who said that Michael doesn't like to be late anyway? The meeting hasn't even started yet!"

Daisy had personally driven to Luigi's house for the sake that he could drive her to the BMW dealership and Michael Fong's office. But since Luigi wasn't awake yet, Daisy repeatedly knocked on his door until he awoke. It was only when Daisy reminded Luigi that that was the day of the meeting did Luigi rush to Daisy's kart. But nevertheless, Daisy pleaded Luigi that he would drive her to the BMW dealership, and he complied.

Now, her kart was parked in the BMW parking lot, and they got out passing through the doors of the modern building to the receptionists.

"Hello and good morning, welcome to BMW!" greeted one receptionist. "How can we help you today? Or is there something else you need to do?"

"You got it!" Daisy said before Luigi could. "We've got some sort of meeting with Mr. Fong. Could you tell us where to find him, please?"

The receptionist's eyes widened. "_Right_, you're part of our motor sport racing team! I should have known. He's down at that end of the dealership."

She pointed to the other side of the dealership behind her to her right. "Just go over there to that open space and turn left once you get there. There's a conference room at that point so I'm pretty sure you can't miss it."

"Thank you," Daisy said. "Come on, Luigi!"

She grabbed his hand and together they walked past the BMWs on display – some of them luxury cars with individual model numbers ranging from 3, 5, and 7, while others were SUVs each carrying the same letter 'X'.

"I just hope the Z4 we're driving is as good as Michael says it is," Luigi said, walking and quickly examining several BMW models. "Still, at least it has a good reputation."

Daisy grinned. "I'm pretty sure that he'll explain what the car looks like today. After all, we're going to a meeting, right?"

Luigi nodded, and he and Daisy later found themselves at the front of a large carbon black door. What Luigi simply did was knock, and they patiently waited for someone to open it.

No more than ten seconds had passed when a man in a midnight blue suit came to open the door for them. "Please, come in. Mr. Fong has been expecting you," he greeted.

Daisy raised an eye of suspicion. "And how would he know that we would be coming at this very time?"

"Hey, he only said that you would be coming, not at what time," the man raised his hands. "Anyway, the meeting hasn't begun yet, so just wait for the time being."

"Thank you," Luigi said before Daisy could, and ushered her in, which Daisy gratefully accepted.

They found the conference room typically modern, where a glossy black table was laid out in the middle complete with white leather chairs. Sitting across from them was, as expected, BMW Motorsport general manager Michael Fong.

"Don't worry," Michael greeted. "You're not late, nor has anyone arrived, anyway. So rest assured."

He pushed his glasses up and waved to the man in the suit. "If anyone else wants to come in, make sure that they're part of this team. Please?"

"You got it, Mr. Fong."

As the door closed Luigi went up to Michael and shook his hand, followed by Daisy, and then they took seats. Daisy was smart; she simply waited for Luigi to sit down, and she would take the seat right next to him.

"The meeting hasn't officially started," Michael said. "And it looks like the others haven't arrived yet. So we'll give them some time, okay? I promise you that they'll be quite familiar."

Before Luigi or Daisy could speak, the door opened again and in came –

"Rosalina?!"

"Torque?!"

"Oh, hello Daisy," came the soothing tone of Rosalina. "My. You're part of Team BMW Motorsport too?"

"I was about to say the same thing to you!" Daisy said happily. "How did _you_ end up here? Still, we're going to be teammates! I'm excited!"

While Daisy was speaking enthusiastically to her extremely calm friend, Luigi made his remarks to Torque and Michael.

"So you're still manufacturing karts at Circuit Break?" Luigi said.

Torque nodded, flashing his wrench. "I figure the Special Cup Tour gave us our big break for karts. But now… the 24 hour race seems to have caught my interest."

Michael nodded, speaking to Luigi, "Torque is positioned as one of our top mechanics for Team BMW Motorsport. He _is_ the elite, so I'm told; his skills will be invaluable."

Now to Torque, Michael introduced, "Luigi will be one of our drivers of the team, but I'm counting on you to fix the car as efficiently as possible should something happen, right?"

"Still," Michael continued, speaking to both of them. "We'll get to the details when everyone's arrived. I hope things will go as planned."

Luigi smiled and sat back down, Torque climbed himself to another leather seat and waited. Rosalina, after a somewhat lengthily conversation with Daisy, took the seat next to Michael to ask details for who else was on the team, and Michael kindly refused.

"You'll find out soon enough," he said, and Rosalina reclined and waited.

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 10:30 AM**

Just under half an hour later, the door opened again to reveal yet another two visitors: and this time it was a Toad and a Koopa.

"Hey, Mr. Fong! It's Koops," said the Koopa. "Listen… the other Koopas couldn't make it. So I'm here on their behalf."

"The same goes for me," said Toad.

Michael for a while gave some thought into this, and decided that it was a reasonable excuse. "Alright, just make sure to report back to them about this meeting today. It's something they really shouldn't have missed."

Without need for words, he waved to one of his assistants to give them a pen and paper, and later the wheel gun carriers walked into the room. This was a slight surprise for Luigi, as many of them were ones around the Mushroom Kingdom he already knew.

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 10:32 AM**

Barely two minutes after the arrival of the wheel gun carriers: the man at the door opened it again to let in a threesome of Yoshi and Birdo. Michael gave a friendly wave and smile and gestured them to take their seats.

"Okay, everyone, this is our fourth and last driver: Yoshi! And here, an honourable mention: to Birdo, our wheel gun leader. Over here beside Yoshi is – Boshi, our jack!"

An indistinct murmur of approval swirled through the room.

"First Rosalina, then _Koops_, and now Yoshi!" Luigi said to Daisy. "To think Michael wanted members from the Mushroom Kingdom, but I didn't think he meant our friends!"

Daisy laughed. "The Special Cup Tour, remember? It must have influenced Michael's decision to pick us and everyone else here to join this team."

Luigi had to agree, as that was specified in his letter, but that still allowed a seed of doubt.

"But wait," he said to her. "If he wanted to pick drivers with good reputation, why didn't he pick someone like my brother?"

Daisy took his hand and gently patted it. "Relax, I'm sure that Michael would have some reason not to pick him, or maybe he already did. Still, let's wait, okay?"

Luigi used his free hand to take off his hat and place it on the table. "Okay, let's wait," he said, and with his other hand – well – he let Daisy have a grip on it. They watched Yoshi take the seat beside Luigi.

The meeting continued with the unexpected introduction of Donkey Kong, which brought further surprise to both Luigi and Daisy. Additionally, this was followed by E. Gadd; who looked distraught.

"Professor Gadd," Michael welcomed. "Nice of you to join our meeting today, I'm glad you made it."

"Say, Professor Gadd," Luigi spoke up. "What's with the face?"

"That may be, Luigi," E. Gadd answered simply. "One of the inventions, a prototype, at Gadd Science has been raided and stolen. To _think_ I was going to debut it in a week."

He nodded to Michael, and took a seat. Michael on the other hand said, "I'm thinking of doing our introductions, so our meeting won't officially start until we're all here. I'm thinking… at 10:45, we'll begin. Is that alright with everyone?"

The people gathered in the room responded with nods or "Mm-hm" sounds, and Michael nodded back in response. Donkey Kong decided not to sit on a chair, and instead remained on the floor, which Michael had no objection to.

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 10:36 AM**

The door was opened once again by the man in the suit, and this time two smaller figures walked in, compared to Donkey Kong. One was the local-known Toadsworth, and the other was a purple star with glasses and a moustache.

"A-hem! Hello, Luigi!" said Toadsworth. "You're –"

"– with Team BMW Motorsport too?" Luigi finished for him. "I was about to say the same thing to you, Toadsworth."

"I _thought_ that you two would have met already," Michael said with a smile. "Please, take a seat."

Skolar had already floated towards a vacant seat near Donkey Kong, but Toadsworth with his walking stick had to take his time to get to a seat. After a minute or two, Toadsworth was able to sit down and look at the other members of Team BMW Motorsport.

Michael, on the other hand, began to address the entire meeting.

"Welcome, everyone, to Team BMW Motorsport. I'm Michael Fong, the general manager of the team," he started. "Now, I'm pretty sure that all of you here are most familiar with each other, but I'll go straight to introductions, anyway."

"Mr. Fong," Torque spoke up. "There are still a few empty seats left. Should we wait for them? Or is this the entire team right here?"

Michael's eyes widened. "Oh, right! I've still got one more member of this team to wait for!"

But at that moment the door was knocked on again, and the man in the midnight blue suit walked over to open it.

"Sorry I'm late," said the figure at the door.


	12. The Crew's Chief

**Very sorry I haven't uploaded for a while! I've just been extremely lazy going to FanFiction these days...**

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><p><em><span><strong>Chapter twelve<strong>_

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 10:37 AM**

**14 Days before the 24 Hour Race**

Apart from Michael Fong, the entire room stared at the mystery member in complete surprise (and to Michael, it was no surprise that the room was surprised). He was a plump man sporting blue overalls and red hat with the letter 'M'. There was no doubt as to who it was.

"MARIO?!" the entire room shouted.

"Yeah, you got it," Mario said to the uncomfortable astonishment.

Before anyone else could say a word, Daisy shouted in a manner of confusion. "Mr. Fong! I thought you said that you have all the drivers we need! Why then, did you invite Mario to drive for this team?!"

Michael laughed and shook his head. "You've got it all wrong, Daisy. Who said that Mario was driving? Think about it."

Daisy wanted to speak, but no words came out. To silence her further, Luigi put a hand on her shoulder for some means of comfort. Finally, she relaxed, which allowed Mario to take his seat and for Michael to continue.

"Okay now, I can confidently say that this meeting has officially begun. Welcome, everyone, to BMW Motorsport! May I go through the introductions? It's more of my thing to make sure who everyone here is dealing and working with."

"First of all," Michael started, directing this to Mario. "I'd like to introduce our drivers of this team: Luigi, Daisy, Rosalina, and Yoshi –"

But Michael was cut off by a round of polite applause, and he joined in with them. After the applause died down, he went straight to the point as to what they were to do.

"Now, this is pretty obvious as you're all familiar with the Special Cup Tour; the role of the driver in the 24 hour race is to – well – drive. Of course, it is impossible for one to stay up for such a long time, and consequently you each will be taking turns at the wheel when the car arrives. Oh! Speaking of…"

A projection screen rolled down behind him, and Michael got up to direct everyone's undivided attention to it. The lights dimmed, and a light shone onto the screen and showed a BMW Z4.

"This is the stock car BMW Z4 E89. As of now, our entrant team Schubert Motorsport has taken delivery of the race-spec version of this car. The BMW Motorsoprt division have gladly taken delivery of it and modified it into this…"

The image changed and showed a more rigid Z4 complete with a rear spoiler and aerodynamic parts, including an expanded width of the chassis which made the car even more aggressive looking.

"Schubert Motorsport will enter the 24 hour race with this car, and since BMW is factory backing this team with _two_ Z4s and with BMW works support; we enter altogether under the name of Team BMW Motorsport or, officially on the Nürburgring grid, BMW Team Schubert. These two cars are the ones we as a team are trying to keep alive for 24 hours, with the exception of our present drivers working with only one. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the BMW Z4 GT3, which BMW Motorsport has engineered in compliance with FIA GT3 regulations."

"Now, as you might have noticed," Michael said, aware everyone was beginning to raise questions. "There are two Z4 GT3s. Who would end up driving the other one? Well, I've enlisted the help of veteran BMW drivers and _above all_, **these guys are your teammates**."

The next photo showed a single photo of four men, dressed in BMW racing suits.

"The one on the left is Augusto Farfus, a Brazilian. The two on the right are the Germans Uwe Alzen and Dirk Müller, and finally the one in the middle; also a German is Jörg Müller who's accounted for numerous wins for BMW. They will be operating the other Z4 GT3. It is _your_ job, pit crew, to keep this other car up and running."

"Just a minute, Mr. Fong," Mario raised a hand. "How is it that only _we_ have to keep these cars alive? Surely… we're short on manpower to fix the car at once."

"That is why," Michael replied. "We have actually BMW mechanics and engineers at our disposal to keep the BMW Z4 GT3 on the track. YOUR role, Mario, as a crew chief is to keep the pit stop in check and to guide what is needed whilst communicating with the pit crew what to do, not to mention you need to guide the drivers as much as necessary."

He gestured to Koops, Toad, Birdo, Boshi, and Donkey Kong, addressing them all at once. "Under the order of Mario, you need to cooperate effectively as a team to do the pit stop properly. When the Z4 GT3 enters the pit stop and if, and ONLY IF, Mario orders a refuel: you, Donkey Kong, must wait under the engine has switched off for safety reasons, got it?"

He nodded.

The next image on the screen showed a video, Michael said, "I don't want to explain too much in words as to what the pit stop looks like so… Donkey Kong: don't fuel the car until the engine has been switched off. Fuel if, and only IF, Mario tells you to, alright? Koops, Birdo, Boshi, and Toad… you need to see this. This is just a video about replacing tires, so don't fret, okay? DK?"

Donkey Kong gave a thumbs-up. Boshi and the rest of the pit crew turned their attention to the video.

"Forgive me," Michael said. "This is footage taken with a different car."

The viewpoint showed a first-person view of a BMW member holding a wheel gun. A BMW M3 DTM arrived, stopped, and the wheel gun was put into action immediately to take out the wheel. The wheel gun man handed it to someone else and was used the wheel gun again within the second, and the M3 DTIM was powering back on the track. The video lasted 7 seconds.

The next video showed another BMW member with a wheel in his hands. The M3 DTM arrived, wheel gun used, and wheel was put in place. Again, it lasted 7 seconds.

The next video showed a third BMW member with nothing in his hands. The M3 DTM's wheel was taken out by the wheel gun man and handed over to him. The video lasted only 6 seconds.

The fourth and last video showed one holding some sort of air tube. The M3 DTM arrived and came to a stop, the air tube was placed on the chassis right on the bumper of the DTM and the car was raised. 7 seconds later, the jack came out and the car was raised down, powering back onto the track.

"A flawless pit stop," Michael remarked. "These are the roles of our pit crew here when we do a short tire change. However, we're going to do it a bit differently since this is a 24 hour race. If you get tired, don't worry. We have BMW Motorsport members to back us up too."

"Skolar, Toadsworth," he continued. "We need your intelligence about organisation and cars in order to successfully complete a repair should anything happen. Aside from that, you need to retain use of laptops and monitor with Mario everything on the Z4 GT3. Additionally, you'll need to keep an eye on the weather too; making minute-by-minute updates."

Skolar made a sound of approval, and Toadsworth followed.

"As for you, Torque and Professor Gadd, you're tasked with leading and performing repairs on the Z4 GT3. You'll lead other mechanics on permanent standby to make sure the Z4 is in top shape. Even if the repair takes an hour, there's always a chance to win back a position."

Michael gave a breath of exhaustion and fell back onto his leather chair, waiting to see if everyone caught his message.

"Mr. Fong," Torque said to break the silence. "With the amount of workforce we've got, we'll all ensure the car will be up and running."

"Glad to hear it," Michael said. "We'll have practice sessions when we get to the Nürburgring."


	13. Strength Not in Numbers

_**Chapter thirteen**_

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 11:22 AM**

**14 Days before the 24 Hour Race**

As the meeting continued with the appearance of Mario, Michael switched, using a palm-sized remote, to another image and this showed another Z4 GT3, but this time it was completely decorated in the brand colours of BMW M.

"Even though it is Schubert who is working with the car," Michael explained. "Like I've told you before, this car is factory backed by BMW, and altogether entering as BMW Team Schubert. BMW has sponsored the car with its brand colours as you can clearly see…"

On the front the BMW Z4 GT3 had the M tricolour of teal blue, dark blue, and red. On the doors was the official /M logo of BMW Motorsport, and on the rear spoiler were the words of the website . Aside from all the sponsors from Dunlop, Castrol EDGE, PUMA, H&R, and many more in small print; on the Z4 GT3's bonnet was the logo of one of BMW's premium partners: **CROWNE PLAZA HOTELS AND RESORTS**.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Michael said to the awestruck group. "As you can see, we need to work all we can to the Z4 GT3s alive on the track. The Z4 GT3 is a car placed in the SP9 GT3 class, the most competitive class in the entire race. If we have the skills to take it for 24 hours, we just might be able to take a podium finish. Are you up to it?"

Birdo raised a hand, and Michael motioned for response.

She spoke in a tone which he could not understand, and Michael looked nervously at everyone's faces hoping that someone would relay the message back to him.

It was Mario who spoke, "Birdo would be interested to know what kind of teams we're up against. We just can't underestimate them, right?"

Michael gave this some thought, and responded, "Our rival Audi, also in the SP9 GT3 class, would typically deploy at least six factory backed R8s to participate in the race, I'm sure. I have no doubt Porsche, again in the SP9 GT3 class, would give at least four, being the dominant manufacturer in the Nürburgring…"

"And how many cars are BMW going to enter?" Luigi spoke up. "I mean on the actual company's behalf."

There was a moment of silence, and Michael said, "As far as I'm concerned with BMW Team Schubert, I guess I should tell you that a couple other teams called Vita4One Racing and Marc VDS Racing are entering one BMW Z4 GT3, yes there're in the SP9 GT3 class," he added, seeing the look on everyone's faces.

"The Z4 GT3 is a reliable car to say the least," Michael continued. "And BMW is going to give works support as well to this car. So Schubert cars, Vita4One, Marc VDS… two plus two… four cars."

Donkey Kong slammed a fist into the ground, and this was followed by a roar of pandemonium.

"Preposterous!" Rosalina shouted.

"Outnumbered six to four?! What are you thinking, Mr. Fong?" E. Gadd shouted as well.

The uproar continued for many more minutes, and even Daisy and Luigi joined in. The only ones who were in silence were Rosalina, Skolar, and, in particular, Torque.

For an extra ten minutes, the room was rambled in shouts and complaints, and finally Torque stepped up to the table.

"Okay, I know that you're all familiar with the 'strength in numbers' quote. But hey! Mario and Luigi managed to defeat hoards of Goombas on their travels on their own," he said. "In the same way, aren't three cars enough to tackle this 24 hour race?"

Michael nodded. "The Z4 GT3 is a painstakingly manufactured package of power. As long as we have the skills of the drivers combined with the strength of the pit crew, we'll survive the race. Besides! Although there are a lot of cars in the SP9 GT3 class, even if we don't take first overall, at least we'll have a worthwhile fight against rivals. _Remember, our four drivers here will be operating just one of the cars. Our other drivers in the same team, headed by Jörg Müller, will drive the other,_" he emphasised.

"Furthermore, I'm pretty sure our rivals would enter their cars for the sake of winning the other classes, and neither Audi nor Porsche would dare to attempt the E1-XP2 class because they wouldn't go for the class's regulations, and ever since the withdrawal of the BMW M3 GT we from BMW haven't entered in the E1-XP2 class either. As far as I know, the only other teams competing in the E1-XP2 class are the Scuderia Cameron Ferrari and Manthey Racing Porsche (although I admit Manthey Racing does other classes too), and even our two Z4 GT3s might be too good for it."

He looked at everyone to make sure they understood, and asked. "Are there any more questions?"

"I do," said Daisy. "Do you mind if you tell us who's piloting the Vita4One Z4 GT3? And do we have to support that car as well?"

Michael took out his roster files from the bigger database. "Let's see… we've got Pedro Lamy, Dirk Werner, Dirk Adorf, and Andy Priaulx at the wheel. No, we won't need to give them a hand even though they're from BMW. The point is, they're entering as BMW Team Vita4One and they're from a different team. But don't worry; another division of BMW Motorsport will support them."

_So we've got three teams from BMW, two which are entering just one Z4,_ Luigi thought. _And we're participating with and helping only one. Fair enough, with all the preparation they have to do._


	14. Gifts: Suiting Up

**I've been too busy lately to even upload. Still, it's good.**

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><p><em><span><strong>Chapter fourteen<strong>_

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 11:52 AM**

**14 Days before the 24 Hour Race: the same day…**

"And now that we're done here, and that we all understand what to do now, I have one last gift for all of you," Michael said, as he knocked on the table.

The door opened (courtesy of the man in the midnight-blue suit of course) and in walked another three men each holding a metal briefcase. They brought them to the table, opened it, and Michael took a neatly folded article of clothing from one of the briefcases. He then got up and showed it off to everyone.

"This, here, is the official BMW Motorsport racing suit. It is absolutely mandatory that you wear it on the day of the race, and needless to say every day you do anything with BMW. I hereby gift this suit to our drivers."

It was a suit that had the colour white as a base with the BMW logo on the left chest, and the Crowne Plaza logo on the right. Additionally, the length of the shoulder to elbow was decorated with small sponsors including Castrol and Dunlop. The M tricolour covered a thin section from both sides of the waist, and on legs the words BMW M were produced there too. The sponsor logo **CROWNE PLAZA **was printed on the left side of the chest and the BMW logo on the right. Finally the words of** BMW Motorsport** and a subtitle reading **powered by /M** were printed in black on the back, starting from several centimetres below the neck.

Michael then took out a second suit, much similar to the driver's.

"Here is the suit worn by the hands-on pit crew. Koops, Toad, your friends need to know this."

It was much similar to the driver's suit as it was white, except printed on the back were not the words BMW Motorsport but **BMW Team Schubert**. All the same, the M tricolour decorated the sides, sponsors on the arms, the Crowne Plaza and BMW logos were on their respectable places on the chest.

"As for Mario and Toadsworth…" Michael said. "Here is a special suit worn by the crew chief, the engineers, and the rest of the intelligence crew at the pit stop."

As he folded and placed the white racing suits back into its briefcase and was handed a dark blue jacket by one of the men.

"This is what you guys will be wearing along with the other BMW engineers. It pretty much sets you apart from the physical workers and the mind workers, eh? Remember to wear it on the race too. "

Along with the dark blue jacket was a set of dark blue sweatpants, also with the words** BMW Motorsport** on it. As for the jacket itself, the sponsors on the arms were less excessive than that of the racing suit (simply Castrol). The words** BMW Motorsport** were on the back, this time in white, and printed in white on the right chest were the words** BMW Team Schubert**.

"Take it, and I should tell all of you that our flight to Germany is scheduled for tomorrow at 2:30 in the afternoon. I hope this won't interfere with your schedules."

"Never!" everyone said, and Michael was gratified.

The white BMW racing suits were beginning to be distributed by BMW assistants to the room. Luigi and Daisy were one of the first to receive theirs, and following them was Rosalina and Yoshi with similar sizes. The next to receive the white suits were Birdo, Boshi, and a ridiculously large sized suit for Donkey Kong; Daisy assumed that it was specially made.

Eight smaller white suits in sets of two were handed over to Koops and Toad, to answer everyone's puzzling looks, Michael said, "Hand these over to your friends, and don't forget to remind them of the time of departure."

"Mr. Fong," Toadsworth spoke up. "Where should we meet up, anyway? You never told us _where_ we to meet."

"You're all to meet me at the main terminal at Mushroom Kingdom Global Airport by 12:30 at the latest, so come over there between 12:00 and 12:30 if you can. The BMW Motorsport crew will be waiting for all of you to arrive as well," he responded.

The assistants finished with the white racing suits by giving the remaining smaller two to Torque and E. Gadd and were now handing the dark blue BMW Team Schubert jackets first to Skolar and Toadsworth, and then a third to Mario.

"That is all," Michael concluded. "Yes, Mario?"

Mario put his hand down. "How do I communicate with all the guys at once? It's not like I have a megaphone."

"You'll learn soon enough when we get to the Nürburgring," he simply said. "So I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

Mario was not the only one to shout, "Yes!" and that was all Michael needed to know. It was by this response that he knew the group was all fired up for the 24 hour race.

"Very well! Remember; tomorrow at the airport at 12:30! Pack what you need for the trip; it's going to be a quite a stay at Germany."

Everyone got up to shake hands with Michael, the first was done by Rosalina, and the next was Koops and Torque. Luigi and Daisy couldn't wait for their turn before leaving the room with their brand new BMW racing suits.


	15. Dinner Date

_**Chapter fifteen**_

**Mushroom City: 7:45 PM**

**14 Days before the 24 Hour Race: that evening…**

"Dinner, madam, is served."

Luigi decided that the only way to way to lie off a little bit of tension from the BMW meeting was to have dinner at a class restaurant in Mushroom City. Merciful as he was, he treated Daisy for dinner as well, out of friendship and affection.

"Thank you," Daisy said back to her waiter.

The view of the city skyline at night was quite comforting for the two, as they had spent most of their time with BMW they barely had time to enjoy what it felt like outdoors.

Shroom Steaks, one of the standard top class dishes in the Mushroom Kingdom, were Luigi's treat. Daisy, who only tasted it once in one of her many previous visits, was literally flattered when Luigi announced that it was his pleasure to do so.

"You know," Daisy said, while she began to add pepper to her steak. "You really shouldn't have taken me out her for dinner. It's – I don't know – overwhelming?"

"Don't' worry," Luigi replied. "It's just a little something to enjoy before we head to Germany. Still, why not? It's not every day _you_ get to eat a Shroom Steak."

He reached out for the pepper which Daisy had just put down. At that, Daisy began to cut and eat hers: starting the knife first, spearing the cut piece with her fork, and began to eat. Only seconds later, Luigi began to eat too.

"You think that we'll _really_ survive 24 hours?" Daisy said.

Luigi put down his knife but not the fork. He lifted the steak piece to his mouth after saying, "We probably will. We've never been to this kind of race before, so I guess we should get a pleasant surprise. Anyway, I think Michael said before that we'll get some place to sleep near the pit stop."

Daisy chewed on her piece, swallowed, and said, "Well, I just hope none of us will crash the car."

With both of them thinking back to the Special Cup Tour, they already knew that the car wouldn't crash at all. Besides, the Special Cup Tour was only recent, so that benefited Team BMW Motorsport.

Daisy continued, but this time to change the topic. "Do you think that the team actually goes by the name Team BMW Motorsport? Or as Michael put it, BMW Team Schubert?"

Luigi was still eating his steak as she said that. He swallowed, and answered, "I _think_ that BMW Team Schubert is the team name just for the Nürburgring, but overall BMW Motorsport is the general company's name. After all, why does the M3 have the letter M in it, anyway?"

"Good point," Daisy agreed.

They were more than halfway eating their dinner and at times would gaze at the Mushroom City skyline above them; it illuminated the skyscrapers above a beautiful dark purple.

"It's a lovely night," Luigi spoke quietly.

"Yes, it is," Daisy said too.

The twosome finished eating their heartwarming steaks and Luigi asked for the bill. It came at an efficient time; and the bill was 120 coins.

"Excuse me?" Luigi said. "I thought it was 130 coins?"

"Oh, that," the waiter said. "Well, we know your name around here, Luigi. Besides, consider it a good luck wish when you head to Germany and race, especially when the entire restaurant went to at least one event during the Special Cup Tour."

He moved to refill their glasses of water. "You know, I think it would be appropriate to say I gave you a discount since you're taking out your friend for dinner, yeah?"

Daisy blushed. "Aw… you're too kind!"

As the waiter left, Daisy turned to face Luigi. "So, I guess this is good-bye?"

Luigi shook his head. "No, I'm thinking more of 'see you tomorrow'. Shall I give you a ride back home?"

Daisy said, "You read my mind!"

**Mushroom Kingdom: 8:15 PM**

With the flight taking place at 2:30 the day after, it was better to start packing and prepare to go to Mushroom Kingdom Global Airport.

"So I guess you'll drive me there again?" Daisy said to Luigi.

"For sure," Luigi replied. "I'll just leave my kart parked at the airport lots while we're away. In the meantime, let's start packing. Oh, and don't forget your suit."

He dropped Daisy off at his home, where Daisy could reclaim her kart and drive back to her home.

"Good night Luigi! Thanks for dinner!" she said, and her kart was soon long gone from Luigi's home. To Luigi, he felt good about treating Daisy to dinner before taking on a 24 hour storm.

* * *

><p><strong>Anyone still interested for the 24 Hour Race?<strong>


	16. Day of Departure

**The race draws near!**

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><p><em><span><strong>Chapter sixteen<strong>_

**Mushroom Kingdom Global Airport: 12:00 PM**

**13 Days before the 24 Hour Race**

"So how far is Germany from here, Mr. Fong?" asked a BMW Motorsport associate.

"It'll take about…" Michael Fong said slowly. "Eighteen hours. Period. Remember we have to go through quite the distance from here to Frankfurt. After all, we _are_ in the Mushroom Kingdom, right?"

"Of course, and you'll be taking transport to Nürburg, I presume?"

"You got it."

Michael, as BMW Motorsport's general manager, had to ensure that his team would make it early to the Nürburgring just so they could get some practice with Grand Touring. From what he knew, there weren't too many pit stops during the Special Cup Tour, so he scheduled a practice session when the team arrived there the day after. He spent the entire morning talking with other BMW officials and packing his belongings.

"Has the BMW crew in Germany been informed of our arrival?" asked the same associate.

"Yep. The BMW Z4 GT3 is at the Nürburgring and BMW Team Schubert is already working on preparations and are on standby as we speak. They're just waiting for us to arrive," Michael said.

He looked at the glass doors of the airport, where sunlight passed through it in brilliant radiance. What Michael hoped was that his cleverly constructed BMW team would arrive altogether. Fortunately for him, he still had about two and a half hours before departure. Why did he arrive so early? So he could manage arrangements with BMW ahead of time to make time efficient as possible. Furthermore, that meant extra time to practice with the pit crew and the BMW Z4 GT3.

"Mr. Fong," a second associate said to Michael. "Could you sign these papers, please? They're supposed to insure – ah – our drivers' safety in the race."

Michael walked over to the associate with a pen in hand, but not before glancing at his watch and wondering if the entire team would make it to the airport, or at least know where they were to be found.

Then again, a large flag with the BMW /M logo hoisted in the air would be enough to justify that. Michael just needed to be patient.

"Oh, and don't forget, Mr. Fong," the first associate said to him. "We've got to adjust our clocks to the right time zone as well."

"I'll get to that later," Michael said after.

The airport was getting a little busier at this time of day, but at least it wasn't too full where lineups would overwhelm the place.

**Mushroom Kingdom Global Airport: 12:11 PM**

By the time eleven minutes had passed the twelfth hour, the six Toads, Yoshi, and Birdo had arrived with their packed suitcases. They were greeted at once by Michael.

"Glad to see you guys could make it," he said. "All hyped up for the race?"

"We feel the same way, Mr. Fong!" said a Toad.

With a smile, Michael gave them one clipboard and a pen.

"This is my roster file. You've got to sign it to make sure we're all accounted for," he instructed. "Yoshi, could you tell the same for Birdo?"

Yoshi shot his tongue at the pen and grasped it, eventually being the first among them to sign the sheet and helped Birdo with hers. Afterwards the Toads signed them as well and gave it back to Michael.

"Great," Michael said. "I trust you haven't forgotten your race clothes?"

"Of course not, Mr. Fong."

**Mushroom Kingdom Global Airport: 12:28 PM**

Michael knew that Team BMW Motorsport would have to check in to their airline at least two hours before boarding the plane, and the flight was scheduled to depart at five o'clock. So to save some time he decided to get some BMW officials to accompany the first group into the check-in while he and other officials would wait for other team members.

"See you there, Mr. Fong," Toad waved to him, and all Michael did was smile.

Now, at this point another group of characters had entered the airport. Michael looked at them and grinned: it was Torque and E. Gadd, followed by Donkey Kong who apparently was carrying all their baggage.

"Professor Gadd, Torque, Donkey Kong," Michael said, smiling. "A bit lazy on the transport, are you?"

Torque said back. "We couldn't help but get Donkey Kong to carry our stuff since we're smaller and he has the hands to do so. He was okay to oblige."

"Say, Torque," Michael said, noticing the size of Torque's case. "What exactly _is_ in your suitcase?"

"Oh, nothing much," Torque replied. "It's just my toolkit. It's got my torque wrench, screws, drivers, and etcetera. If there's anything I need from BMW I'll ask for it."

Michael gave them the same clipboard for them to sign like he did with the previous group. Soon enough, he directed them to an official and they checked in.

"What about you, Mr. Fong?" asked E. Gadd. "Aren't you coming?"

"I'll join you soon," he replied. "But I've got to make sure everyone's accounted for."

Donkey Kong nodded on Torque and E. Gadd's behalf and pushed the two to the waiting BMW official. Michael looked at his watch again and hoped the rest would make good time.

**Mushroom Kingdom Global Airport Exterior: 12:32 PM**

"I sure hope Michael won't mind if we come early," Daisy said to Luigi.

Luigi had just parked his kart near the airport security offices and with Daisy disembarked and unloaded their suitcases.

"No. In fact, I'm sure we're arriving at a good enough time," Luigi said. "I'll go get a guard to lock my kart while you head to the terminal. Okay?"

Daisy nodded. "I'll bring your suitcase with me too."

"Thank you, Daisy."

**Mushroom Kingdom Global Airport: 12:37 PM**

As Luigi and Daisy entered the airport, they could not help but notice a group of Koopa near an even larger group. Immediately, Luigi and Daisy knew what was going on; as the massive white flag with the BMW M logo was neatly printed on it.

"Shall we go?" Daisy said to Luigi.

"We shall," Luigi answered.

* * *

><p>"So these are your friends, Koops?" Michael said while handing them the clipboard.<p>

"Yes, Mr. Fong," said Koops. "Don't worry; I've already delivered their BMW suits like you requested. They're packed in our suitcases."

Michael smiled. "Excellent. Just follow my associate here and he'll deal with your check-in. I've got a few more guys to wait for so just go on ahead, please?"

Koops led the way for his friends to check-in. Very soon, their luggage was filed away and the BMW Motorsport official started handing out their boarding passes. Minutes later they were into the airport's terminal.

"Michael!" a voice cried out.

Michael looked around to see where the voice came from and his eyes lit up. It was his prime recruits Luigi and Daisy.

"Good afternoon, Luigi and Daisy!" Michael said. "I see you've come a little bit late, haven't you?"

Daisy crossed her arms and made a face at the same time. "Well, we were caught in a crowded traffic jam. But at least we're not late."

They put their suitcases at rest and received the clipboard from Michael.

"Ah, so Torque, Donkey Kong, and the rest of them haven't arrived yet?" Luigi asked.

"Pretty much," Michael said. "There's still Mario, Rosalina, Boshi, and the engineers to wait for. So when one of them shows up, you can head in, okay?"

Right before either Luigi or Daisy could say something, a shout was heard. Michael glimpsed at the entrance to spot Rosalina (and she apparently noticed the BMW flag). She walked to him after.

"Rosalina," Michael spoke. "I suppose you've got all your racing gear with you?"

"Only just the racing suit," she said. "Anyway… where _is_ everyone?"

Instead of answering first, Michael handed her the clipboard for her to sign and gestured for Luigi and Daisy to sign as well. "Almost everyone's at the check in, mainly because I'd prefer to arrive there ahead of time. We'll be boarding the plane in less than two hours, so we're on schedule."

He then waved to one of the remaining BMW officials to guide them to the check-in. Michael knew some BMW workers would stay in the Mushroom Kingdom, so that meant other workers were heading to Germany too. Luigi, Daisy, and Rosalina took their suitcases with them to the check-in.

**Mushroom Kingdom Global Airport: 12:55 PM**

It had been over an hour since Team BMW Motorsport had arrived at the airport to set and wait for their Mushroom Kingdom teammates. Now, Michael was getting a bit nervous about time constraints, and wondered if he'll make it in time for his flight.

"Mr. Fong!" Mario shouted.

Michael turned his head to see Mario, Toadsworth, Skolar and Boshi passing through the doors of the airport, and "Sorry, we all agreed to take the bus, so…" Mario began.

"That's fine," Michael said. "Fair enough too. Come on, everyone's already passed check-in." Then, finally, he pulled his suitcase toward check-in with Mario and the others.

By that point the necessary BMW officials checked-in with Michael while others went back to the dealership with the 24 hour race in mind.


	17. Frankfurt, Germany

_**Chapter seventeen**_

**Frankfurt, Germany: 7:00 AM, Central European Time**

**12 Days before the 24 Hour race**

At the Frankfurt airport, Team BMW Motorsport officials were already gathered in anticipation of Michael and his newly selected team of drivers and pit crew. What they had doubted, though, was if the team he selected would be strong enough to handle against professionals.

"So," asked one of the BMW officials. "Their plane is due to arrive in an hour?"

"Yes," answered another. "Michael was very clear on that. When they come out of arrivals we'll pick them up and head straight to Nürburg by transport. It shouldn't take any more than five hours. Then again, they'll have had an exhausting trip."

He had his iPad with him. "Update: Jörg, Dirk, Uwe, and Augusto have arrived at the Nürburgring, says Team Schubert."

"Just as Michael scheduled," the other said. "Man, he's one to take excellent charge of the team."

"Well, that's why he's general manager for BMW right now! He even helped out BMW Motorsport last year at the American Le Mans. It's a shame we never got the overall win."

"So when's the plane arriving?"

"About… now."

**Frankfurt: 8:01 AM**

"_Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Frankfurt_._ The time is now 8:01 in the morning,_" the pilot said. "_Please do not remove your seatbelt until the plane has finished docking, and be sure to remember picking up your luggage! Thank you for flying with us, and we wish you a pleasant day._"

Daisy had already gotten out of her seat to extract her bag while Luigi began to unbuckle his own seatbelt. Eventually, the Mushroom Kingdom team waited to follow Michael out of the plane. In time, they would be onto immigration with the Germans.

**Frankfurt: 8:37 AM**

With the plane being pretty much mainly the Mushroom Kingdom team, immigration and disembarking took even shorter than Michael had thought and they had finished collecting their luggage. Now, they were on their way out of the terminal and into pickup.

"Torque," Michael said. "You need a hand with your tools?"

"Nope," Torque replied. "That's what I keep Donkey Kong here for."

Indeed, Donkey Kong was in fact carrying not only Torque's and Professor E. Gadd's luggage but was also pushing Skolar's and the Toads' as well. Well, that was Donkey Kong.

Luigi and Daisy grouped with Rosalina, Yoshi, Boshi, and Birdo to follow Michael, and the BMW assistant president looked around for a particular group in the crowd.

"Who're we looking for…?" Daisy asked tiredly.

"The people with the card marked 'BMW Motorsport'," Michael said. "Since it's the morning, we won't have to attract a crowd. Ah, there they are."

Rosalina and Birdo were the first to approach the BMW officials, and they gave a warm welcome to the two of them.

"Welcome to Germany, Rosalina. Same to you, Birdo," said an official. "Don't worry that we know your names, Mr. Fong already went through that."

"That clarifies things, doesn't it?" Rosalina said back. "And I suppose Mr. Fong already told you what I'm doing?"

"Driver, are you?"

"Yes."

The larger portion of the Mushroom Kingdom team approached the BMW officials and with Michael completed registration and accountability. Luigi and Daisy then took their suitcases and followed Michael and the BMW officials to the exit gate outside. There, a large white bus with the small but official words **BMW Motorsport** waited for them.

"Now then," Michael said. "Let's load up your luggage onto the transport and we'll give you a ride to the Nürburgring. It's a five hour trip, so be sure to grab some rest while we're going there. When we arrive, we're going to have a meeting with BMW Team Schubert, okay?"

The team nodded and started loading their luggage onto the bus.

"Michael," Luigi said with half-awake eyes. "Where are we going to stay for the next few nights?"

Michael was already boarding the bus. "I've arranged for us to take residence at the BMW building at the Nürburgring…" he yawned and took his seat. "But I'll think of that later. I'm going to get some rest."

He took off his steel glasses and folded them away, eventually he was sound asleep.

"You should get some sleep too," Daisy whispered, giving Luigi a pat on the shoulder. The two took seats beside each other and no sooner did Daisy fall asleep on Luigi's shoulder. Luigi put his hat down and decided to sleep too, even though it was only morning.


	18. BMW Team Schubert: Welcome

**Due to increased interest from readers, I am uploading pretty rapidly for now. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em><span><strong>Chapter eighteen<strong>_

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/BMW M Testcenter: 1:40 PM**

**12 Days before the 24 Hour Race**

"We're here, guys," Michael announced, as the bus came to a halt. "This is Nürburgring Nordschleife, the 'Green Hell' as it was nicknamed: treacherous, exhausting, and downright one of the greatest circuits in the world."

Luigi gently shook Daisy awake and they, after giving out some yawns, both glanced outside. They saw nothing but grass and beautiful green forests out there, and not to mention that it was simply cool in temperature.

"I suppose we should start getting off?" Mario said to Michael.

"Of course, we're at the BMW M Testcenter on the Nordschleife. I've decided to do our training here. But first we're going through a bit of introductions," Michael said. "Let's go."

One by one, starting from Torque, Birdo, and Koops, they got off the bus to retrieve their luggage. Afterwards, when the last had gotten them (Toad), they followed Michael to a white two-storey building that was mainly glass, let alone the frame. A heading inscribed white on the front read '**BMW M Testcenter Nürburg**' with the BMW logo on the left end. Michael pushed the glass door opened and gestured for the team to enter.

The team followed Michael to a room on the ground floor which had a large glass door in front and yet another man in a suit not unlike the one in the Mushroom Kingdom. He opened the door for everyone to come in.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Fong," said the man across the table, speaking in fluent English. "And I assume that this is our newly selected team from the Mushroom Kingdom?"

"Yes," Luigi said. "And I suppose that you from Team BMW Motorsport already read up our profiles and such?"

"Not really," said the man. "I've only read the roster Mr. Fong showed us. But first let me get to introductions: I'm Stefan Wendl."

It was Michael who went to the details. "Mr. Wendl is principal of BMW Team Schubert. He will be guiding you guys to strategies and such."

This was followed by the whole bunch of introductions by the members of Team Mushroom Kingdom. It started from Rosalina all the way to Koops, and it ended with Michael's remark.

"Thank you, Mr. Fong," Wendl nodded. "First of all, I'd like to welcome all of you to BMW Team Schubert. Mr. Fong may have mentioned Schubert Motorsport already to you, but let me be clear: BMW Team Schubert is the team name we all will be working under to the point where we race with our two works-supported Z4 GT3s. We have them already waiting in storage."

"So when do we get straight to practicing?" Boshi asked. "I – WE are all hyped up for the race!"

Wendl grinned. "You're Boshi, the jack, right?"

"Yes, indeed."

"Well, have you actually operated a jack yourself?"

Boshi couldn't say anything, which was all the answer Wendl needed.

"That's alright, we all need training too," he said. "From what Mr. Fong told me: Luigi, Daisy, Yoshi, and Rosalina haven't even qualified to drive the Z4 GT3 yet. Don't worry, I'll get Jörg to give you guys a run-through of the Nordschleife with one of our Z4s here."

Although they never said a word when they walked in, it was apparent that the test centre had lots of M performance cars of BMW dating from M3 classics that raced on the Nordschleife to modern generation M3s. Even M5s were in the test centre. On the whole, it was plainly and nothing less than an exclusive BMW M showroom.

"In fact, why don't I introduce the rest of BMW Team Schubert to you?"

"I don't see why not," Mario said. "We could use some time to get to know each other."

Minutes later the man in the suit opened the door to let in a group of four men. They were exactly the same as the ones whom Michael showed a picture of.

"Jörg," said Wendl. "May I introduce you to our newly selected BMW Team Schubert? Our drivers, first of all: Luigi, Daisy, Rosalina, and Yoshi."

Müller went up to the drivers, who stood up, and shook hands with each of them. "I've been a BMW works driver for a while. It'll be nice to work alongside new teammates."

The drivers smiled. "Of course, it's an honour."

This was followed by the introductions of other BMW works drivers Augusto Farfus, Uwe Alzen, and Dirk Müller.

"Are you serious?" Farfus said, apparently surprised. "These guys… are going to be our BMW works drivers? This is crazy, I'll give you that, and Mr. Fong says they're just handpicked."

Farfus went to shake hands with Luigi. "The Nürburgring is going to cruel, but it'll be a great experience for all you guys in motor sport."

Luigi smiled. "Thanks, Mr. Farfus."

Afterwards Stefan Wendl continued the meeting.

"Priority one," Wendl continued. "During these two weeks we'll do all we can to get practice for everyone with the actual Z4 GT3. I suspect that the happy campers will start stoking up their tents next week, so let's make these five precious days worthwhile."

"Everyone here, except for the drivers (he glanced at Rosalina and Yoshi) will be in the pit stop marked '**BMW Team Schubert**', where Mario the crew chief will be issuing commands. Even you, Mario, will be communicating with the drivers to help guide them."

"The engineers…" Wendl continued. "…will be relaying intelligence on the car to the pit crew. You know what I mean? The Z4 GT3 has sensors monitoring major assemblies, air pressures, fuel consumption, and electronics, including ABS and other electronic aids. This data is transferred immediately to their laptops. The also monitor pit stop coordination and time as well as keeping track on weather updates on a minute-by-minute basis. I know it's exhausting, but the weather up in the Eiffel is treacherous. It changes constantly."

"Just a question, Mr. Wendl," Daisy said. "What exactly is the schedule for the Nürburgring, anyway?"


	19. Der BMW Z4 GT3: The Racer

**As a gift of pleasure to interested readers, I have uploaded this chapter right after chapter eighteen!**

**For those who don't know, the car on the book cover is the Z4.**

* * *

><p><em><span><strong>Chapter nineteen<strong>_

**Nürburgring Motorsports Complex: 2:00 PM**

**12 Days before the 24 Hour race**

Daisy hadn't expected her question to wind up with the rest of the team to the Grand Prix track of the Nürburgring, but Wendl insisted that they did.

"While we're at it," Wendl said. "I'll go and show you the BMW Z4 GT3. But anyway…"

Addressing the whole team, Wendl said, "Here's how it's going to work: in ten days it's going to be the qualifying rounds where each individual car does one lap of the Nordschleife to determine where they will start on the grid on race day. I myself and Mr. Fong will be monitoring from the BMW Motorsport pit stop to see how well you guys are doing. Shall I show you the team grid?"

There was a large board on the building Wendl pointed to where, as he explained, every car in the 24 hour race would be participating. They were arranged numerically.

"There's your car," Wendl walked to the board and touched the number 1 car. "Start number 18: the BMW Z4 GT3. Jörg Müller's car…" he slid his finger to start number 17. "…is here."

"To plainly answer your question, Daisy," Wendl said. "The 24 hour race is in twelve days and qualifying takes place in ten. While we're here, shall we take a glance at your race car before we head back?"

The team eyed Stefan Wendl with great anticipation.

**Nürburgring Motorsports Complex: 2:15 PM**

The BMW Z4 GT3 stood bravely in the emitting sunlight as the Mushroom Kingdom team arrived to look at it.

It was as good as Luigi and Daisy remembered seeing on Michael Fong's projection screen, except that _this_ was the real deal. The official works-supported factory-backed Z4 GT3… it was unsettling to think that they were going to race in it in twelve days.

The sponsor **CROWNE PLAZA HOTELS AND RESORTS **was on the bonnet, the logos of BMW's partner Randstad decorated the side doors and the top, and there was a large white blue-bordered square that was imprinted on the bonnet's side as well as beside the Randstad logos: the perimeter of the square was bordered in blue in a thin line; except for the large blue space having a **Z** logo and underneath it read **ZURICH**. The words on the left printed in white read **ADAC NORDRHEIN **(in reality, you'd have to tilt your head sideways to read it), and on the bottom in blue was the title **24h NÜRBURGRING NORDSCHLEIFE**. To top it all, the white square itself had the start number as Stefan Wendl said: **18**.

The M tricolour was noticeable not only on the front, but it stretched across the left side bonnet, across the top, and ending on the cars right rear (see the image above!), and that gave the four drivers a sense of… privilege and of course the front had none other than the logo and icon of BMW. The car was identical to that of Michael's pictures, except that this time the windshield had the sponsor that read **GRAN TURISMO the real driving simulator**. Outfitted with the Z4 GT3 was the rear spoiler reading on the top, and **M Power **on the bottom, with sponsors on the side reading **PUMA, H&R,** and the primary sponsor **Randstad** and tyres from Dunlop. A yellow border lined the rear window with **Deutsche Post** was readable. On top of it all, the rear had the words **BMW recommends Castrol EDGE** on what was the trunk, and more a pair of **Randstad **logos and a pair of **Bilstein** logos decorated the rear bumper. In addition, a pair of **Castrol EDGE **logos was sported right beneath the headlights, along with another pair of **Bilstein **logos. **FALKEN** tyre logos, one on each side, were printed on the bonnet's side, just above the front tyres. Printed on the middle of the rear bumper in black, above the words **Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts**, were the words **BMW Team Schubert.** Truly, Luigi and Daisy had to admit that Schubert and BMW Motorsport must have put in a lot of effort into creating this racing machine.

"Engineered to perfection," Michael stated. "A flawless carbon fibre reinforced plastic material that creates the bonnet, roof, spoiler, and other aerodynamic essentials, with a six-speed rear-axle transmission gearbox, and steel chassis are among the qualities of the Z4 GT3."

"Mr. Fong," Rosalina asked. "Seeing that we have so much experience with Kart racing, do we use automatic or manual transmission with this car?"

Wendl answered instead. "I've already read Mr. Fong's review while you were flying here. It seems you're all used to automatic transmission when you were doing the previous Special Cup Tour, nevertheless having experience with manual transmission before. Unfortunately, if any of you are used to automatic transmission, now would be the time to think about manual again. Because the FIA strictly enforces all FIA GT3 cars to their racing specs, every standard racing car must use a standard gearbox. Additionally, it's how we get the most effective way of producing speed efficiency."

He went on to describe the Z4 GT3. "Engineer data designates the car produces 515 Nm (that's 380 ft-lbs) of torque, with a capacity displacement of 4,361 cc."

The team from the Mushroom Kingdom, who were used to racing karts at 150 cc at the most, were plainly shocked. The only exception was Torque and Boshi, who kept their interests keen.

Yoshi also looked at the car too, and then he made a happy sound, pointing to the chassis on the car right above the windows.

"What do you know?!" Rosalina exclaimed. "Did you do this, Mr. Wendl? Or Schubert?"

Right there were names with the flag of the Mushroom Kingdom beside each one. The first read **Luigi**, next was **Daisy**, and then was followed by **Rosalina**, and the fourth was **Yoshi**.

"Actually," Wendl said. "It was both BMW Motorsport and Schubert who put it there. This makes it official that you're the drivers of this car."

"We shall have practice with this car," Wendl continued. "When Jörg Müller has given the drivers a run-through of the Nürburgring, otherwise we'll never have a right practice. Speaking of Jörg, he'll still be at the Testcenter right now. Let's head back to there."

Michael took the lead this time to go back, and he was closely followed by, unofficially, Team Mushroom Kingdom. Officially, they would be all known as BMW Team Schubert.


	20. Touring the Green Hell: Part 1

**This is one half of the tour of the Nurburgring.**

* * *

><p><em><span><strong>Chapter twenty<strong>_

**BMW M Testcenter: 5:10 PM**

**12 Days before the 24 Hour Race**

"While still have some sunlight left," Michael said to Jörg Müller. "Do you mind if you show our to-be drivers what the Nürburgring is actually like?"

"No, not at all," Müller said. "On request, I think it will be better if I showed them the track in pairs. I will use a normal M3 here to give them some quick instructions."

They were gathered at the meeting/conference room with Luigi, Daisy, Rosalina, and Yoshi discussing how they would be trained to race on the circuit. Now, it seemed that the final decision was to give the drivers a run-through of Nürburgring Nordschleife, with Jörg Müller at the wheel.

"Okay… Mr. Müller…" Luigi said. "How long do you think it'll take for each run-through for each driver? I mean, if you take two at a time?"

"I'll be taking it slow, Luigi," Müller said. "It normally takes over twenty minutes overall to explain what to do on each part of the Nürburgring. So… why don't we go there now? It'll be much better to drive on the loop in daylight than the night. So who wants to go now?"

"I'm going with Luigi!" Daisy shouted. "No one else!"

The room went silent, and Michael smiled. "It seems so… Luigi, Daisy: follow Jörg downstairs. I'll ask the employees to prepare an M3 for your use."

Müller left the room followed by Luigi and Daisy. Rosalina and Yoshi, on the other hand, were given a strategy talk with Stefan Wendl and BMW Team Schubert.

"Mr. Wendl," Rosalina said. "What do you make of Mr. Farfus's response when he first saw us?"

"I'd say he was quite surprised," Wendl said quietly. "He _is_ a little doubtful of you guys since you're not BMW works drivers, but he knows you guys have potential."

"While we wait for our driver trio to come back," Wendl continued. "We better strategize how we're going to change tires and drivers every so often during the race. I'm telling you, this is essential."

Rosalina and Yoshi leaned in closer to pay attention to Wendl.

**BMW M Testcenter: 5:20 PM**

"The BMW M3," Müller stated. "A stock racing-like car like no other. Here, in you go!"

A normal M3, coloured a deep blue and black, was parked at the front doors of the test centre. As Luigi and Daisy gazed at it, Müller opened the left side door (yes, this M3 and the BMW Z4 GT3 in the Nürburgring use the left side for the driver's seat), lowered the driver's seat, and gestured for one of them to enter the car.

"Would you like to go in the co-driver seat, Daisy?" Luigi asked.

"No," Daisy replied. "You'll have a better chance at driving the car than I would. I'll take the back seat instead. You go in the co-driver, Luigi!"

Daisy crouched into the M3 and took her seat in the back. Luigi on the other hand went into the right-hand side of the M3 and took the seat beside Jörg Müller. Müller ignited the engine, and the BMW M3 was on its way to the Nürburgring.

**Nürburgring GP: 5:22 PM**

The road soon ended onto the grand prix track of Nürburgring, and before Luigi or Daisy could ask questions, it seemed like Müller already knew them.

"During the 24 hour race," he said. "The race also uses the grand prix track as part of the venue. You'll need to take it fast down this straightaway and over the start/finish line. It's pretty noticeable because the line is right near a BMW advertisement…"

He drove at a speed over 100 km/h (62 mph) down the straight and passed under a large white bridge connecting a building on one end of the track to the other side. It didn't look anything like a bridge; more like a large white block. Over the pit stops it read **Sheer Driving Pleasure**, with the BMW logo beside it, and over the track it read **Freude am Fahren**.

The M3 approached the end of the straight and Müller braked hard, doing a sharp right turn at a slow speed (**entering the YOKOHAMA/Castrol-S curve**), and continued driving straight (**into a round corner called** **Mercedes Arena**).

"Here, the track will continue onto here," he said, turning the M3 left (**Valvolene-Kurve**)… a solid right (**Ford-Kurve**)… and into a 180 degree turn right again (**Dunlop-Kurve/Mullenbach**)."

"Keep driving straight from here," Müller continued. "Go around this chicane (**Michael Schumacher-S**)... to **Kumho-Kurve**...and after a few seconds another solid right (**Bit-Kurve**)… and you'll end up at this beginning section of the Nordschleife going through the back straight."

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Hatzenbach: 5:26 PM**

Daisy listened to Müller on the beginning section of the track known as Hatzenbach. Apparently the bend had to be taken slowly because the turn descended on an angle to the left.

"If you take it too fast," Müller warned. "You won't turn in time, and you might crash as well."

They passed Hatzenbach after passing through gradual right and then left turns.

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Hocheichen: 5:27 PM**

The turns now became much more merciless, and both Luigi and Daisy noted that Müller took gradual left and right turns here while maintaining a relatively quick speed. It was only when the turn approached an 80 degree right that Müller had to slow a bit and maintain S-bend turns.

"After Hazenbach," Müller said as he drove. "The turns will become consecutive left and right corners. Even a small mistake can make a crash here, so be careful."

Daisy gulped. She hadn't expected the track to be this bad, and she hoped she wouldn't crash at all.

"We'll get training, though," Luigi assured her, seeing the look on her face.

Now the track straightened out to become something of a straight and turning here was nothing less than a 10 degree turn to the right. It seemed simple enough, but as they approached a rise…

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Quiddelbacher-Höhe: 5:28 PM**

"This rise here can literally make the car lift off at such speed and can substantially damage the car upon landing," Müller said. "Be sure to brake before you get to this rise, okay?"

Daisy said, "You got it."

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Flugplatz: 5:30 PM**

"Take this turn directly after that rise, and we'll end up at Flugplatz. You'll need to really slow down here because the turn to the right is quite sharp for over 100 km/h (62 mph)."

Müller turned the car to the right and Luigi and Daisy watched the car driving its way at a quick speed making gradual turns to the left, with Müller accelerating at over 250 km/h (155 mph) forward.

**Nürbrugring Nordschleife/Swendenkreuz: 5:30 PM**

In short, the straightaway kept going. Eventually, the track became a downhill slope and was, and still is, a straightaway angling slightly to the left, but that didn't stop the speed of the car which was travelling at well over 260 km/h (161 mph).

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Aremberg: 5:30 PM**

The very wide-open straightaway ended with a sharp right turn, which forced Müller to brake hard.

"During the straight to Aremberg here," he said. "It can still be dangerous to go slightly off-track at this speed, because if you do the car will go off-balance, and might even skid into a 360 degree spin. So concentrate here."

"Mr. Müller," Luigi said. "If there's sand over there, why did the company even bother putting it if they know no one's ever going to run into it?"

As Müller was turning right, on the left side of the car was a large layer of sand.

"It's to slow down cars in case if they go too fast and crash into the steel barrier just past the sand. You've probably noticed the entire circuit is encased in a steel barrier. While there's still sand to slow you down from hitting the barrier, you should still try to avoid it."

The car finished its turn and continued through the track into a narrower part, which was surrounded by forest.

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Fuchsröhre: 5:30 PM**

They had just exited Aremberg when Müller brought the M3 to a slightly downhill section where it seemed unusually straight and S-bended at the same time.

"Fuchsröhre has a treacherous uphill left turn ahead, so focus on the track if you don't want to crash," Müller said, driving the car left on an uphill slope and three seconds later he was forced to brake and make a wide right turn.

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Adenauer Forst: 5:30 PM**

Barely ten seconds after Fuchsröhre section the right turn ended up becoming an S-bend to the left and right, forcing Müller this time to reduce speed to about 70 km. He slowly turned left, keeping away from the grass, then right to become straight again. Afterwards the M3 was at a considerable speed with gradual turning again.

"Mr. Müller," Luigi said. "I suppose there'll be more turns to come?"

"Oh, at least a dozen more," Müller laughed. "Adenauer Forst is probably one of the harder turns of the track, and do remember you're going to be racing on it for 24 hours. So get plenty of practice!"

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Metzgesfeld: 5:31 PM**

There was a wide open area of grass on the left and right that stretched out from the distance from the first left turn and to a second left turn, with steel barriers blocking each side, with a fence on the right. Müller slowed down the car to make the car turn properly. He accelerated down a straight that lasted only under four seconds before he had to turn left again. This ended up into a narrower part unlike the previous turn.

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Kallenhard: 5:31 PM**

"You have to be cautious here," Müller said. "After that left turn at Metzgesfeld the track becomes a downhill slope before you have to make a wide but short turn to the right. This section is called Kallenhard, watch this."

He brought the M3 to a slower speed where it curved about 190 degrees right and resumed going downhill for a second or two before the car drove through a short straight that ended with a gradual S-turn. Müller continued to drive past the S-turn and through a wide right turn and straight, which was a bit easier than Metzgesfeld.

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Wehrseifen: 5:32 PM**

Luigi and Daisy weren't worried whether Müller would crash into the barriers or not as he was a very experienced BMW works driver, but what they were worried was if the turns might be too much of a shock for them to go through.

Wehrseifen was an example.

The M3 made a sharp left turn with Müller hammering the brakes to slow down. The turn was angled downward on the left and at the speed he was going it took three seconds to approach the next one, which was a wide turn on a narrow track. Luigi didn't believe it that Müller had somehow made the car _not_ touch the grass beside it.

"Luigi," Müller said. "On some parts of the loop there are red and white racing edges… right beside the track. They're also paved and they angled down to the track evenly so you can drive on it."

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Einfahrt Breidscheid: 5:33 PM**

The turn had become a straight with Müller accelerating at over 200 kilometres before he braked to turn left. On this turn, Luigi and Daisy noticed there was much more fence in this part.

"Up ahead," Müller replied. "There's a popular tourist campsite there and a small village. This would probably explain why the track is much wider and why there's more fence here."

He drove the car left where he accidently went off-track. But the part he went off was paved as it was right beside the village. The M3 drove slightly downhill past the village until the car went uphill a bit with a sharp right turn as well.

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Exmühle: 5:33 PM**

"Brake," Müller instructed. Although the car slowed down quite a bit when he turned that right, it only got worse when they faced an uphill that appeared a little steeper than the rest.

"Uh… Mr. Müller?" Daisy started.

"We have an M3," Müller said instead. "It's built for power. When you get a shot at the Z4 GT3… oh, you're going to see how it can tackle this uphill."

Soon enough, after that short uphill, the three of them enjoyed eight seconds of straight road until Müller had to brake a bit to turn left.

"Right before Bergwerk," Müller said. "…is a left turn that must be taken seriously at all times. Because of the speed we're going at, we have to slow a bit. Decades ago in 1976, the racing legend Niki Lauda suffered a very serious crash at this spot."

Luigi and Daisy looked even more uncomfortable.

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Bergwerk: 5:33 PM**

And then they enjoyed another four seconds of gradual downhill straight before Müller brought the M3 again to a slow to make a wide right turn.

"I remember once where a car went too fast on this turn and braked too late," Müller said.

"What happened after?" Luigi asked with interest.

"He managed to brake real hard, but it wasn't enough for his car to hit the steel barrier," Müller said. "He lost ten seconds of time during that race."

The car drove barely making a left turn in the process, and they enjoyed driving through a wide road to continue.


	21. Touring the Green Hell: Part 2

**Here's the other half!**

* * *

><p><em><span><strong>Chapter twenty-one<strong>_

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Bergwerk: 5:34 PM**

The turn at Bergwerk finally came to an end, much to Luigi and Daisy's delight as they saw a gentle straight right ahead of them. Müller brought the M3 to an increasing speed and angled the car left, although with some straight road there was no need to brake.

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Kesselchen: 5:34 PM**

Halfway through the slightly curved straight, Müller drove through a very gentle flat road.

"Even though we're on a straight," Müller said. "Remember that we're on our own. During the 24 hour race we're going to get no lights except from the car. You might find that this section will be a good advantage to use to overtake other cars."

The M3 kept driving for many seconds across Kesselchen before approaching another section that didn't look like anything different. It was as if it was part of Kesselchen.

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Klosteral: 5:34 PM**

Barely six seconds had the M3 crossed Kesselchen, it slowly became a right curve, but it was so wide that Müller didn't even need to brake to turn and instead kept his speed at throttle. Even when it was actually an S-curve, again the turn wasn't sharp but was very minimal. The M3 braked a little and turned gently to the left to keep driving.

Now, the section ahead was a straight for the next six seconds, with a gentle right that went downhill.

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Steilstrecke: 5:35 PM**

"Now here you have to brake, everyone has to," Müller said. "The turns ahead are like a massive S-turn. Concentrate because cars often make mistakes here."

The turn ahead showed a red and white barrier just a metre or two from the track. Müller braked hard to make a moderately wide right turn to make the car drive 180 degrees in direction. That was just half of the massive S-turn.

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Carraciola-Karussell: 5:35 PM**

"Up ahead is this turn which is probably the Nürburgring's most famous turn, the Karussell. As you can see, the Karussell is actually a hairpin turn just like an actual carousel. But…"

Müller slowed down the car to a really slow speed of about 30 to 40 kilometres.

"The Karussell must be entered slowly because, apart from the fact that you would go off-track, the turn curves a solid 180 degrees and much more difficult than Steilstrecke. While Steilstrecke was on flat road, the Karussell is built on a banked angle where the car itself is angled. Watch this…"

The M3 entered the turn slowly, which was made of added board-like pavement, and Luigi found that gravity was pulling him slightly to the left. He figured that the Karussell was the cause of that, since the view of the turn was also tilted dramatically at an angle.

In addition to that, the car shook as Müller tried to make the hairpin turn while actually steering against the turn so the car wouldn't lose its balance.

At the point where Müller was halfway done, he said, "If you enter the Karussell too fast, you'll crash into the steel barrier. If you enter the Karussell improperly, and more importantly turn at a fast speed, the result will be a heavy cost."

"You see, the turn is **banked** and can badly damage the chassis of the car (that is, the edges of the car smash into the pavement if it's at a high speed). Which is why all cars have to enter the turn slowly and make a fast out."

"What happened in the previous 24 hour races?" Luigi asked.

Müller replied, "A while back, when Augusto Farfus, Uwe Alzen, Pedro Lamy, and I were racing in the 2010 race in the M3 GT, we ended up as overall winners. In the 2011 race, though, Pedro was maintaining a first place position until he accidently hit and collided with a car in the Karussell. It spun him 180 degrees right outside of the turn and he was forced to turn around and drive the other way. This cost BMW Team Schnitzer three minutes."

"What place did you guys drop to?" Daisy was afraid to ask.

"Three minutes: it ended 8th place in classification," Müller murmured.

Luigi and Daisy definitely looked uncomfortable now.

"Don't fret! That collision only happened early in the race," Müller assured. "We had 18 hours left at the time. After all that, we somehow ended up in 2nd place overall, which was an amazing podium finish for BMW!"

The hairpin turn came to an end with Müller bringing the car to pass 150 kilometres with a good momentum of speed and slightly turning right. Better yet, there was a straight with an S-turn that started from turning right and went uphill. But the road was so straight braking was barely needed. The car turned left to continue through the track.

"However, in 2013, when Team Schubert was factory supported in place of Team Schnitzer, I had an accident in Spa, Belgium so I couldn't race. Still, BMW Team Schubert's Z4 GT3 ran into the Karussell too fast and collided with the car in front. And guess which car it collided with? The other Z4 GT3 entered by Schubert"

"No way…" Daisy stared.

"Yeah. In the end, one of the Z4s was forced to retire, and the other Z4 was forced a lengthily repair before returning to the grid to finish in 6th overall. At least the Belgian team finished in 2nd place that year.

Luigi and Daisy started to feel a little more comfortable with the car now. It was only a matter of time before they were racing in the Z4 GT3.

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Hohe Acht: 5:36 PM**

The turn of Hohe Acht was done in silence with Luigi and Daisy watching the track ahead became a right turn. It descended a little to become another right turn that was fairly wide. A whiff of a bumpy straight lasted for a second before they continued a straight road for a few seconds.

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Hedwigshöhe: 5:36 PM**

In Hedwigshöhe, the turn was a downhill S-turn with a steeper angle. The two were silent as they watch Jörg Müller maintain a smooth but firm rein on the car as it dangerously slipped past the S-turn.

"I do recall one time," Müller said. "One driver went too fast here and didn't break hard enough. He nearly crashed because of it."

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Wippermann: 5:37 PM**

Now, the M3 finished entering and making the S-turn to face an uphill turn to the left. The only problem was that the uphill was actually a rise, so they couldn't see what was over it.

"Back then, this one turn of the Nürburgring was extremely dangerous because the cars kept leaping up and down," Müller said. "The Nürburgring authorities had to change it to make it less dangerous."

It couldn't be explained better, especially when the car faced something of a bump when Müller brought the car to a very fast and sharp turn past the rise.

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Eschbach: 5:37 PM**

After Wippermann had passed, the M3 drove to a slow speed because the left turn ahead curved 90 degrees. Müller kept driving afterwards to find another 90 degree turn to the right and drove through a straight.

"Say, Mr. Müller," Luigi said. "How many kilometres of racing have we gone through?"

"Oh," Müller paused, thinking. "If you don't count the Grand Prix course, one lap of the Nürburgring takes around 20 kilometres to complete. If we put in the Grand Prix, then it will be about 24 kilometres. To answer your question, Luigi, we have covered over 19 kilometres so far."

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Brünnchen: 5:37 PM**

Later, the road had sloped downhill where a very wide right turn waited at the end. The only trick Luigi and Daisy found was that the turn had to go uphill at the same time. Shortly after Müller finished his turn, he drove at a speed of about 100 before approaching a second turn which turned a sharper left.

"It can get a little tricky for the first time, especially when you can't see what's over that rise," Müller said. "But some practice will be needed and then we'll have no problem."

"What _is_ over that rise, exactly?" Daisy asked.

The M3 increased power to find a blind turn, which directed a wide left and went downhill again.

"Oh," Daisy said quietly.

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Pflanzgarten: 5:38 PM**

The road ahead was much clearer than the rest, because the steel barriers were spread out more than that of the rest of the previous sections and there was much more grass than the rest of the track than before. Luigi and Daisy saw the track as nothing more than a slightly narrower S-turn.

"Don't let your guard down," Müller warned. "This section makes you brake hard early at the last moment to turn a sharp right. Why? I'll show you."

The M3 suddenly drove down a slope, and Daisy could feel butterflies in her stomach when that happened. Under two seconds later, Müller braked so that the M3 could turn right after the drop.

"Fortunately, if you brake too late there will be a few layers of sand to stop you from sliding," Müller explained. "The barrier isn't made of steel, either, so the car won't suffer too much. Still, that doesn't mean you won't lose any time."

A gentle uphill and a tiny bit of a left turn was what happened after. Once again, Daisy felt butterflies in her stomach when the car dropped down another descending slope, where the straight ended with a wide right turn.

In fact, the car came out of the forested sections and finally into a clearing with open skies. It occurred to Luigi that the car was passing the 260 km/h mark, because the track had suddenly become gentle S-turns, which allowed Müller to attain a very powerful speed without crashing.

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Schwalbenschwanz: 5:38 PM**

The Schwalbenschwanz turn was a little different than Luigi and Daisy thought it would, if not strange. Müller turned the car a 90 degree left, descended down a slope, and turned on another 90 degree left on a banked turn similar to that of the Karussell. The M3 continued down a straight for some time.

"Put it this way," Müller said, to answer Luigi and Daisy's curiousity. "The engineers named it Schwalbenschwanz because the turn itself reminded them of a swallow's tail. It is an ingenious name, since there aren't any others."

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Galgenkopf: 5:39 PM**

"Pay close attention to this turn," Müller warned. "Since we're going at such a high speed it's likely you could crash if you don't brake early enough, let alone hard."

They could slightly hear the M3's tires screech when Müller made a C-style wide turn that lasted for a few seconds the worst part being the section was banked too. After all that, the road flattened and straightened out at last.

"The worst you can get," Müller said. "…is when you're approaching this part at night."

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Döttinger Höhe: 5:39 PM**

"Now _this_," Müller happily said. "…is the easiest part of the Nürburgring: about 25 seconds of undisturbed straightaway!"

It was indeed the easiest. The road was plainly flat and there were no turns or curves ahead as the M3 passed under a timer overpass that read '**Audi ultra performance**. Best of all, the skies were clearly open wide and the section was free of any trees.

"This is an excellent place to attain the M3's top speed," Müller advised. "While you're here, you can easily draft other cars here too!"

At the end of the section, Luigi and Daisy realised the straightaway would be very likely a pleasure to drive on. But then they would have to face the many other sections of the Nürburgring too…

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Antoniusbuche: 5:40 PM**

"The BMW M Testcenter would be just in this area," Müller said, approaching the next timer overpass. "We actually might have passed it already."

The section didn't really appear any different than Döttinger Höhe, since it was already a part of the straightaway. The only differences were that the timer overpass had a different advertisement and the section slowly became downhill. At top speed, though, it wasn't noticed or bothered with.

The M3 turned a left and began to travel downhill again.

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Tiergarten: 5:40 PM**

It might have seemed easy that there was a straightaway in the end, and there was more since the section was really another extension of the straightaway. All Müller needed to do was to turn left a little bit.

**Nürburgring Nordschleife/Hohenrain: 5:40 PM**

"One final warning," Müller said. "The straightaway may have been easy, but the Nürburgring still needs concentration. At Hohenrain here is a treacherous S-turn that forces you to reduce your speed to about 100."

He turned the M3 at a slower speed to turn left, and then made a right turn shortly after, which was wider and a bit easier.

"Finally, we just need to turn left again and the finish line is in your sight!" Müller said.

**Nürburgring Motorsports Complex Grand Prix: 5:41 PM**

"If we really need to, and upon the crew chief's orders, we'll have to take pit stops to maintain the car or switch drivers. I'll show you our pit stop, and while we're at it I better show the rest of your team members the Nürburgring too."

The overpassing bridge with the BMW logo and slogans were in view, but what Müller did was to turn the car into the pit stop lane, where the rest of BMW Team Schubert waited.

**Nürburgring Grand Prix/Team BMW Motorsport pit stop: 5:41 PM**

Sirens went off in the BMW Motorsport pit stop. Everyone was quite annoyed by it, come to that.

"There's the M3," Stefan Wendl said. "It looks like it's your guys' turn now."

"Finally…" Rosalina said. "I've waited forever!"

Yoshi couldn't help but agree.

The BMW M3 with Jörg Müller driving it pulled over to where a member of Team BMW Motorsport, with a large signboard that had the number 18 in a black square and smalls words '**BMW Motorsport**' above it, went out on the pit lane to position the signboard on the road next to the pit stop. The M3 stopped where the sign was positioned, just barely touching it, and then the sign was removed.

"Normally," Wendl addressed everyone, including Toad, Birdo, Koops, and the rest of them. "At this point you would be following Mario's orders to switch tires or fuel up gas and such. But we'll get some practice on that within the seven days."

A member of BMW Motorsport went to open the door of the M3. Jörg Müller got out and helped get Daisy and Luigi out of the car, and then he gestured for Rosalina and Yoshi to go in.

"They're going to have a great learning experience from Müller," Luigi said.

"And how," Daisy agreed.

In the end, Wendl told them to follow the rest of the team back to the Testcenter so that they could learn what BMW's strategy was when they prepared for the 24 hour race.


	22. Gearing Up

_**Chapter twenty-two**_

**Nürburgring Grand Prix/BMW Motorsport pit stop: 10:01 AM**

**11 Days before the 24 Hour Race**

Although it was only morning, BMW Team Schubert had been working for hours since the break of dawn. When the team arrived at the pit stop so that Stefan Wendl could give what they needed.

"Ah, I see Mr. Fong has already given you some suits already!" Wendl exclaimed, seeing the drivers in their white racing suits with the M tricolour and the pit members wearing the same thing.

"Okay, first of all I need to give you the gear," Wendl said, and he gestured to a nearby table where a LOT of headsets lay, with a BMW logo on each side of the set. Wendl picked up one of them and handed it to Mario.

"You're the crew chief, so you need to communicate with everyone, including those in the pit like changing tires and fuelling, and also the drivers so that they know when to pit," Wendl instructed.

Everyone started to help themselves for a headset, including Boshi and Toadsworth, and equipped them on their heads.

"The mechanics will stay in the garage," Wendl continued to speak. "In the event that the car may suffer some damage we need you to fix it good and proper."

Daisy started to grab a headset, but Wendl said, "No, you're a driver. How you'll communicate is that we'll be equipping it together with your race helmets…

Luigi, Yoshi, and Rosalina stared at what Wendl was trying to give them, and he showed four helmets of the same. They were coloured black, with the BMW logo in the upper centre of the helmet, and the top part of the visor had a white strip covering it reading '**BMW Motorsport**' in black. The sponsors of Castrol and others went on the back on sides while the main sponsor Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts was on the front, where the chin would be.

The one exception, though, was that each helmet individually had their unique logo on it. For example, Luigi's would have a green circle with a black '**L**' in the middle. Daisy's was an orange flower. Yoshi's was that of a Yoshi egg, and Rosalina's was simply a star.

"Take your gear and go," Wendl instructed. "We have a schedule to keep."

* * *

><p>Outside, minutes later, they found the pit lane was empty which was completely natural. But little did the team know, Wendl and Michael aside, that other teams were racing test laps in their cars. Even the number 17 BMW with Jörg Müller was on the track!<p>

"When Jörg Müller comes with the number 17 car, we'll go through what must be done," Wendl instructed once more. "Mario, give a shot with the headset please."

Mario switched the set on, took a breath, and spoke, "Hey, Jörg, can you hear me?"

There was silence, and to the team's surprise, the voice of Jörg Müller said in each set, "_Yeah, I can hear you, Mario. What do you need?_"

"The team is gathered at the pit stop and we were wondering if you could stop by so we could get some practice…"

"_That's okay, I figured you would need to,_" Jörg said. "_I'm at Döttinger Höhe right now. I'll be getting there shortly._"

Wendl looked at Mario, who nodded.

"Furthermore…" Wendl said. "Here's more gear to give you…"

He gestured to show a rack full of tyres.

"Sponsor Dunlop has carted thousands of tires for the occasion. Upon Mario's order, you will need to know which tires Mario wants to use and be sure you're all carrying the same kind when you put them in. We'll get many drills to practice this so don't fret."

"_Hey! Guys! I'm nearing the pit stop!_" Müller shouted.

"Okay, get into positions," Wendl warned.

**Nürburgring Grand Prix/Team BMW Motorsport pit stop: 10:03 AM**

The BMW Z4 GT3 with start number 17 reached the pit lane and made its way to the BMW Motorsport pit stop. A horizontal sign reading '**BMW Motorsport**', suspended above the pit stop, had multiple black hoses hanging loosely from it. Wendl motioned to the two Toads to each grab one of the devices attached to the hoses.

**Unlike the number 18 car, which was painted an Alpine White, the number 17 car was painted a Frozen Black. Nevertheless, the M tricolour still stretched from the left bonnet to the right rear. Nevertheless, printed in white on the back were the words 'BMW Team Schubert'.**

"These are wheel guns. I'm sure Mr. Fong has already shown you how they work. Just position them in the centre of the wheel to take out the wheel and hand it to the catchers while the carriers put new tires in, and then screw the wheel gun back in and there! The pit stop is done!"

"But Mr. Wendl," Luigi said. "How do they switch the tyres when the car's on the ground?"

Daisy nudged him, and Wendl scoffed.

"That's why we have Boshi here," Wendl replied. "He's got an air pump that'll raise the air jacks from the car. You know what I mean? The jacks are _in_ the car. We just need air to pump them out."

"_Okay, guys, I'm approaching the GP track_," Müller said.

Suddenly, alarms and sirens went off in the BMW Motorsport pit stop. The team members got into position so they could wait for the number 17 car to approach and park at the pit stop.

The flag man of BMW held out his signboard in the air and placed the stand on the ground and the taller portion upright with the number 17 on it. The BMW Z4 GT3 came at a fast pace to brake…


	23. BMW Team Schubert: Practice Sessions

_**Chapter twenty-three**_

**Hohenrain: 4:45 PM**

**6 Days before the 24 Hour Race**

Luigi, driving the BMW Z4 GT3 with start number 18, had just finished tearing its way through Döttinger Höhe and began to approach this tight section so that he could near the pit stop. Apparently, the week of training in the M3 started to pay off: he was starting to become more familiar with the Nürburgring track. The same could be said with Daisy, Rosalina, and Yoshi too.

(Luigi's headset)

With a headset underneath his helmet, he said, "Mario, I'm nearing the pit stop. Let's get down to business, right?"

"_Of course, Luigi! We're already waiting on you!_" Mario responded. "_By the way, do you mind if we switch drivers now?_"

"No, no, go ahead," Luigi said.

Luigi slowed down as he approached the pit lane, noting the speed limit, and looked for the team's pit stop. Fortunately, each pit stop had their team name and logo posted above.

He was not alone on the track. Over the next five days, the numbers at the Nürburgring had been increasing a hundredfold and very likely hundreds of thousands more. This included other competitors like Volkswagen, Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Manthey Racing Porsche.

Additionally, when he bypassed Schwalbenschwanz, he saw many campers parked and people setting up tents. They were definitely getting ready to watch the 24 hour race.

**BMW Motorsport pit stop: 4:45 PM**

The sirens of the BMW Team Schubert pit stop shrilled in the ears of all the members there. The flag man took his board and waved it on the pit lane as Mario got the pit crew into position.

(Mario's headset)

"Remember, all of you, you'll have to wait for DK to finish fuelling the car before you start switching tires. How much fuel does the car have left, Skolar?"

"_It still has a bit,_" Skolar said from the garage. "_It's nearing empty, but it's still a quarter full at least. But Toadsworth and I recommend fuelling while we're at it._"

"Thank you, Skolar," Mario said. Turning to the pit crew, he ordered, "Get into positions! Now!"

According to Nürburgring regulations, they were only allowed so many workers to work on the car at the same time, so Wendl had to cut down the team into two shifts.

The **real** problem was, the videos that Michael had been showing to Team Mushroom Kingdom were DTM racing footage, not endurance racing, as Michael had warned from much earlier .So Wendl had to spend the five days of practice conditioning the team to fit regulations.

Well, at least it gave the team a fitting concept of what they were supposed to do.

"Get those tyres unwrapped and out!" Mario ordered.

The present shift had two Toad, three Koopas, and Birdo on standby right now with each side having an even number of three workers each. Koops and the others had yet to do their stop.

On the left side: Boshi stood there with an air pump in his hand; and Birdo had a wheel gun in her hands. Koops' friend, holding a tyre, and a Toad (holding nothing) were also ready at the one wheel.

On the right side: a Koopa was positioned with a wheel gun in hand. One of Koops' friends was holding a tire while the Toad beside him held nothing. Donkey Kong was with them and also was holding a fuel tank.

**There were two tyres on each side wrapped in order to preserve some heat in the tyre. Koops' friend began to unzip the first one labelled 'Front Left' and then the other labelled 'Rear Left'. Another of Koops' friends on the right side unzipped the ones 'Front Right' and 'Rear Right'.**

Essentially, each side had three people on it, if not counting Donkey Kong and Boshi.

"Okay here he comes!" Mario shouted.

The BMW Z4 GT3 stopped instantaneously in front of the flag man's signboard, and the pit stop commenced starting with the flag man removing his signboard to walk away.

First of all, Luigi had to turn off the Z4's engine. Donkey Kong put the fuel tank nozzle into the car, and started to quickly fill up the Z4 GT3 with gas. It was a slow process, but it safer to do it that way.

The thing was, the fuel tank wasn't too large. Donkey Kong could manage to fill the car with gas with only one hand!

Right after Donkey Kong gave his thumbs-up and removing the fuel tank, Mario shouted, "Okay guys! Let's get to work!"

Boshi jabbed the air pump into the Z4 GT3 in a small hole on the Z4's rear bumper, right in the centre. Suddenly, pneumatic air jacks sprouted from underneath the Z4 GT3 and the car was raised, which allowed everyone else to work.

Birdo was the quicker of the two to get her wheel gun into the wheel in front of her, activated it, and used her free hand to remove the wheel and passed it to Toad beside her. The other side was the same, with the tire removed in less than three seconds and passed to the Toad beside him.

On the left side, the Koopa brought his wheel into the empty spot where the old tyre was removed. He put it in, and beside him Birdo jabbed the wheel gun into the centre of the wheel again. The wheel was screwed in tight.

"_Okay, okay! Now on to the other tyre!_" Mario shouted.

The Toads put the worn-out wheels aside to move onto the second wheel, where Birdo and the Koopa began to repeat what they had been doing before; first starting with taking out the wheel.

While all this happened, a BMW Team Schubert member with a cloth and cleaning fluid went to the front to clean the windshield, spraying bursts of fluid on the windshield and wiping it with his cloth while another went to the left side door and opened it for a helmet-wearing Luigi to get out. Luigi passed by Daisy, saying, "Good luck out there."

**Most crucially, Daisy had to ensure her HANS device (Head and Neck Support) was securely around her neck and attached to her helmet, and supported her shoulders. It is required since it greatly reduces the risk of neck and head injuries. She was also wearing a mandatory fireproof suit and hood over her body and head.**

Daisy, also wearing her BMW Motorsport suit, said, "How could I not?"

Luigi stood beside the Z4 GT3 as Daisy tried to get herself into a comfortable position in the BMW. The warmth of horsepower was now on her back.

She gripped her hands on the wheel, patiently waiting for the air jacks to come down. But then she realised that the door hadn't even closed yet.

"Give it your all, okay?" the BMW Motorsport member encouraged.

"This _will_ be fun, I'll credit that to the team," Daisy replied, adjusting her helmet to make sure it fit, and for her HANS device to comfortably fit onto the race seat and on her shoulders.

"Good, now while you four are switching positions as drivers, remember to make sure your seat is adjusted right too, and I have to help you put on your seatbelt. It's a motor sport safety measure. Luigi, you need to know this as you might have to help her during the race."

The member showed Luigi and Daisy how to put on the safety net that became part of the roll cage of the BMW Z4 GT3. In case that the car was ever in a collision, the driver wouldn't be thrown out of the car, despite the seatbelt.

Daisy nodded and waited for the member to adjust help putting on her seatbelt so that it comfortably and safely stuck on the seat at neck height. While doing that, he taught Luigi what to do as well. After all that, he closed the door and the alarms shrilled two times more.

Finally, the air jacks came down. Whistles could be heard too, and the photographers who were taking pictures of the Z4 GT3 were being ordered away so that there would be plenty of space for Daisy to make through. The Z4 GT3's engine roared to life and was beginning to power back onto the circuit, this time with Daisy at the wheel of the car. But she was in for a surprise…

(Daisy's headset)

"_Okay everyone; help Daisy back onto the track!_" Stefan Wendl said through the headset.

"_What are you talking about, Mr. Wendl?!_" Daisy shouted.

Most of the pit stop members, not including Boshi and DK, went behind the Z4 GT3 and started to push. This enabled the Z4 to get a running start. However, all the manpower they had (even Luigi) was all the muscle they would need, and the Z4 GT3 was back to the pit lane and track in –

"_Two minutes, twenty seconds,_" Toadsworth said through the headset. "_That's exactly BMW standard. We'll just need to keep up that kind of pit stop for the 24 hours too!_"

Daisy relaxed and when she exited the pit lane, she stepped hard on the gas, and prepared another few practice and test laps for the BMW Z4 GT3. After the push into the pit lane again, Daisy accelerated the car, stamped on the clutch, changed to a gear up, and repeated the process to achieve speed.

Now that was done, the six members in the pit stop moved back into the garage so that the other shift could fill them in. They included four Toad, a friend of Koops', and Koops himself. They made their way onto the pit garage.


	24. Schubert's Important Race Plan

_**Chapter twenty-four**_

**Team BMW Motorsport/Schubert: 10:02 AM**

**5 Days before the 24 Hour Race**

"So qualifying takes place in three days," Wendl said. "Anyway, on race day I better give an overview that our drivers here will need to take shifts during those 24 hours."

Normally, the day would have been spent with the drivers working away on test laps in the BMW Z4 GT3, but with the qualifying round nearing even closer that was out of the question, as the 24 hour race would come two days after that.

Wendl put out his schedule. "I've already organised shift schedules with Jörg Müller and the others, now all I need is for _you_ to fill in scheduling."

Luigi, Daisy, and the others (including Michael) watched as Wendl gave handouts to everyone.

"The minimum amount of driving you need to do is one and a half hours a shift," Wendl explained. "So at some times you'll need to do two hours, and other times between two and three. What worries me most is if the pit crew, mechanics included (he looked at Torque and E. Gadd), could manage to stay awake for this span of time."

"Anyway, it'll be up to Mario and me to call when to switch drivers," Wendl continued. "If any of your driving starts to wear you out, tell Mario and we'll find an appropriate time to change spots."

"To start off, we will normally do the standard switch of driver by sequence. Therefore, if Luigi stops to switch, Daisy will follow. Then Rosalina will switch after that, and finally Yoshi. The 24 hour race starts at 3 'o clock in the afternoon, that's two days after qualifying."

Luigi raised a hand, which Wendl nodded. "Yes?"

"Mr. Wendl. Pardon me for asking, but what does qualifying do again?" he asked. "Since these are practically race-ready teams, why do we need to qualify to do so?"

"Qualifying actually determines where each car will be placed on the starting grid," Wendl answered. "The point in qualifying is to grab pole position: the fastest lap. Doing so will let the car start first on the grid. Naturally, it's the SP7, SP8, and SP9 GT3 classes that take the top positions. After all, they have huge advantages."

"Fortunately, Luigi, each team needs to do a minimum of three laps per person for the _car_ to take a place on the starting grid. So no pressure. Additionally, we need to do three practice laps at night on qualifying day."

Luigi nodded and continued to read the handout.

"But back to shifts," Wendl said. "During the race each of you four drivers will be given a rough five to six hours to drive. BMW Team Schubert has organised scheduled pit stops we will share with you later."

"If you look here," Wendl turned on a projection screen. "I'll show the time schedule for when we need to switch drivers."

The projector flashed on, and a twenty-four hour timeline was shown on the wall.

**15:00 (start) – Luigi**

**16:30 – Daisy**

**18:00 – Rosalina**

**19:30 – Yoshi**

**21:00 – Luigi**

**0:00 – Daisy**

**3:00 – Rosalina**

**6:45 – Yoshi**

**10:00 – Luigi**

**13:00 – Daisy**

"At the start of the race you each will take one and a half hours to drive and find your rhythm before you switch, so you can familiarise yourselves with the track. After that you'll need to start pulling off double shifts: three hours."

"The one exception I make, though, is when Rosalina drives until 6:45 in the morning, when the crack of dawn breaks through. That's when Yoshi will grab enough rest to drive again. We'll keep on racing like this until the final pit stop, where Yoshi can, and will, bring the car past the finish line."

Stefan Wendl moved to show another schedule.

"Every two hours, the team will switch shifts to keep the Z4 GT3 up and running. We will start with shift one, who's being led by Birdo, Toads, and Koopas. The second shift will have Koops and the others. Each one will show the respective positions."

**Wheel gun/catcher/carrier**

**15:00 – L: Birdo/Toad/Koopa –R: Koopa/Toad/Koopa**

**17:00 – L: Toad/Toad/Koopa –R: Toad/Toad/Koops**

"_But remember that anything can happen within those 24 hours_," Wendl warned. "Don't expect this schedule to run smoothly because we might run into unscheduled stops, car damage, exhaustion, or even a fire. Some of the worst we can get is if the car suffers internal problems, and then we might not have a chance at the podium."

"So what if one of us falls asleep at the wheel?" Rosalina asked.

"Let Mario know that you want to rest, and get back to the pit stop as quickly and safely as possible. Unfortunately, that will cost BMW Team Schubert quite some time. So try _not_ to fall asleep at the wheel, please?"

"**You got it**," the drivers said simultaneously, much to Michael Fong's and Stefan Wendl's amusement.

Now Wendl turned to look at the engineers and mechanics (Torque and the rest of them). "You guys, as Mr. Fong might have said already, have to remain on permanent standby for the length of 24 hours. That means staying in the garage doing your respective duties as Mr. Fong may have said in the first place."

"Finally, to wrap up I'll need to give you guys a schedule of the number 17 car, when Jörg Müller and his crew will switch. The drivers don't need to worry about this, just the pit crew. Do you guys have any more questions?"

Torque spun his wrench 'spike'. Wendl said, "Yes?"

"What about this… BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS? After all, our pit stop definitely has BMW Motorsport's name on it."

"They'll represent BMW too," Michael answered instead. "But they'll be using a different pit stop. So we don't need to worry about them. Wendl is the principal of Schubert Motorsport, so it'll be Marc VDS' issue to deal with."

"Anyway," Wendl concluded. "You guys go do a little more practice in the Z4 GT3. We want to make use of our time as effectively as possible, as qualifying is in three days."

Already, Luigi, Daisy, Rosalina, and Yoshi left for outside and went to prepare the BMW Z4 GT3.

* * *

><p><strong>For those who care: Luigi has 7.5 hours of driving time, Daisy has 6.5 hours, Rosalina has 5.25 hours, and Yoshi has 4.75 hours. I don't want to say that Yoshi is a backup driver, despite the driving time, but hey the team needs rest. To be fair for Daisy and Rosalina, they're doing the night shifts, and Rosalina's stint and Yoshi's are the longest: exceeding 3 hours. Luigi is the main driver, and though I tried to make the numbers equal, they still needed to fall under the 3 hour stint within 24 hours, with some exceptions.<strong>


	25. SP9 GT3 Class and BMW Marc VDS: Pinnacle

_**Chapter twenty-five**_

**Nürburgring GP: 10:30 AM**

**3 Days before the 24 Hour Race**

It was _really_ early at the Nürburgring Grand Prix. There was plenty of sunlight shining on the track at this point of the day, though.

In the midst of it all, all the racing cars were being lined up and put on display for the public to show. Deciding that all of BMW Team Schubert was working so hard, Stefan Wendl and Michael Fong brought Team Mushroom Kingdom to have a look at the other teams as well.

Now the cars pulled aside for Team Mushroom Kingdom to get out, starting with Rosalina and then Daisy. The other two drivers followed, and then everyone else disembarked from their cars.

Of course, each member of Team Mushroom Kingdom were there wearing BMW Motorsport racing gear and suits.

"We have plenty of time to spare," Michael said. "So take a look around at some of the other cars! They're actually worth looking at if you ask me, but be back to the SP9 GT3 class later where the Z4 GT3's are. That will be our meeting point."

Everyone nodded and parted ways.

* * *

><p>"I think we could check out the other SP9 GT3 cars, they look like the stuff," Luigi said.<p>

Daisy reached out a hand and grabbed Luigi's. "You first," she said.

They approached one or two of the cars. Clearly, there were team logos around and photographers and cameramen surrounding each car. With so many, Luigi and Daisy decided to look at only a few of the cars.

There was a large logo hoisted up in the air, and Luigi couldn't help but notice it was a black flag with a black and yellow badge-like logo with a golden bull in the middle. The words '**LAMBORGHINI**' were printed in yellow in that flag.

"Excuse me!" A reporter went to ask the Lamborghini engineers. "May I ask what…?"

"A Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 FL II," the engineer said proudly over the noise. "We definitely hope we'll take a podium finish with this great machine!"

An orange Lamborghini was parked and closed off by velvet ropes to prevent the public from reaching too close to it. A black rear spoiler stretched out from the back and the ZURICH race number read the single number 12.

"It looks formidable, if you ask me," Daisy said.

"HA!" the Lamborghini supporters said. "We'll see what happens in the race! We might finally have a chance to best BMW Motorsport, Audi Sport, and Mercedes for the first time this year! No offence."

"Not a problem," Daisy replied.

Indeed, the car _did_ look fierce-looking…

* * *

><p>After Lamborghini, Luigi and Daisy went to look at the other SP9 GT3 class cars.<p>

"FIA GT3 regulations," a voice said to another. "Yep, these are the cars you'll find to have the best potential for the overall win. I'm confident that ours will take it for sure."

Luigi looked over his shoulder and saw a silver race car parked. The team logo this time was on a signboard. He and Daisy walked over to it.

The signboard read '**Mercedes Benz**'. Apparently, the racing team was called Black Falcon Racing, and their SLS AMG GT3 stood with a yellow spoiler on the back; the official Black Falcon logo in the front centre where the vent was; the ZURICH race panel reading the number 3.

"Now that's a car," Luigi said.

"It looks a little too… gray," Daisy remarked.

"Come on, Daisy! That's a GT3 car right there!" Luigi retorted. "From what I've read, Mercedes Benz is a challenging opponent, in spite of the look. Would you believe me if I told you that car's doors open up like a bird?"

Daisy rolled her eyes and dragged Luigi to look at other cars.

* * *

><p>When they walked further to look at SP9 GT3 cars, they also saw crowds gathered near the Porsche team for SP9 GT3 class. To their interest, the team was Manthey Racing: a chief competitor in the 24 hour races.<p>

"How do you reckon Porsche will turn out in this year's race?" a reporter shouted.

"A bunch of engineering and lots cooperation is all we need," the principal of Manthey answered. "We haven't had a winning streak lately, so we might as well start one today!"

Manthey Racing's 997 GT3 was only one of many. This particular car had the start number 50; painted yellow; and like all the other cars was decorated in sponsors. It was incredible that there were even more Porsches that followed Manthey's, although the fact remained that the other SP9 GT3 Porsches weren't from Manthey.

* * *

><p>After looking at other GT3 specification cars, Luigi and Daisy moved to look at some of the last. Among them was a company called Phoenix Racing, and they used a blue and yellow Audi R8 LMS ultra race car. Given that the twosome had seen so many other GT3 cars, they weren't shaken by the sight of the R8. Rather, they were hyped to race it.<p>

"Start number 205," Luigi said. "That's a lot of cars!"

"You got it," said a member from Team Phoenix. "And tell BMW that they've got a whole lot more Audis to race against! You guys better work hard!"

"Same to you," Daisy replied.

* * *

><p>After bypassing a few more teams, Luigi and Daisy came across the last bit of cars. <em>Somehow<em>, they mistook the next few cars as the two Schubert Z4 GT3s. The reason was that the cars were BMW Z4 GT3s themselves. A gray and black Z4 stood, and a black and azure Z4 stood beside it."

"Impossible!" Daisy exclaimed. "I thought that only Schubert had the right to carry those logos! Let alone the M3!"

"But this is the first time in _history_," the Marc VDS manager said. "Schubert Motorsport, Marc VDS Racing, and Vita4One Racing are representing BMW together. It'll be a blast. Come on, Jörg Müller and Dirk Müller have driven for Marc VDS too, you know."

Luigi and Daisy spun around, with Luigi saying, "BMW should be lucky to have two powerhouses like you two."

"Hey, we're still rivals speaking in teams," the manager said. "All the same and speaking in manufacturers, we both represent BMW in the 24 hour race, as Mr. Fong has graciously told me. However, you guys at Schubert have two cars to work with while we have one."

"Say," Daisy said. "Why is it that they're called GT3, anyway? What's the difference?"

"This class uses cars engineered to meet FIA GT3 European Championship regulations. They're the cars that usually have the best bet to take the overall win, considering how dominating their performance is."

The Vita4One Z4 GT3 had multiple photos taken of it. Daisy even noted the names **Pedro Lamy, Dirk Werner, Dirk Adorf, **and **Andy Priaulx** on the car. To top it all, Luigi looked at the back of the Z4 GT3 to see the white words in black **BMW Sports Trophy** on the bumper.

"Let's hope for a good race," Luigi finally said to the Schubert manager.

"See you guys at qualifying," the manager replied.

* * *

><p><strong>The story <em>has<em> to deserve a review at some point! Positive review = encouragement**


	26. V2 and SP10 GT4 Classes

_**Chapter twenty-six**_

**Nürburgring GP: 10:36 AM**

**3 Days before the 24 Hour Race**

As for Rosalina, she walked with Skolar and Toadsworth to look at classes which seemed to be of lower grade. The V2 class was an example.

"That car definitely is from BMW," she pointed to the V2 class car, which was a BMW 330i model.

"Yes, but this is just a private team," Skolar said. "After all, they're here to participate and survive the race, aren't they?"

"Yes, indeed."

Additionally, they saw crowds taking photographs and pictures of cars from the SP10 class. Unlike the V2, they were cars in much more powerful condition.

There were so many cars in the SP10 class that Rosalina didn't have the patience to look at all of them. Instead, and like Skolar and Toadsworth, she looked at cars of interest.

A large British flag was being waved in the air around a luxurious looking car. It was an Aston Martin V12 Vantage.

"Crazy! How much money do they spend on that?!" Toadsworth shouted. "V12… that's a massive engine they've got there. How can we defeat a monster machine like that?"

"But remember that BMW is giving us works support," Skolar reminded. "At least we'll have an advantage when it comes to fixing and engineering the car."

If the Aston Martin wasn't enough, behold another car of the same class and also British: the Lotus Evora GT4 from Team Lotus. Decorated in multiple sponsors, it wore the start number 101.

Indeed, the SP10 class featured cars of GT4 specifications: BMW M3 GT4 and Lotus Evora GT4 were examples.

"I suppose we could keep going?" Rosalina said.

"Right."

They kept walking to look at the other SP10 cars, and left the cars and the British flags behind.


	27. SP3 and SP3T Classes: Small and Mighty

_**Chapter twenty-six**_

**Nürburgring GP: 10:36 AM**

**3 Days before the 24 Hour Race**

As for Rosalina, she walked with Skolar and Toadsworth to look at classes which seemed to be of lower grade. The V2 class was an example.

"That car definitely is from BMW," she pointed to the V2 class car, which was a BMW 330i model.

"Yes, but this is just a private team," Skolar said. "After all, they're here to participate and survive the race, aren't they?"

"Yes, indeed, but Schubert is a private team too."

"Right."

Additionally, they saw crowds taking photographs and pictures of cars from the SP10 class. Unlike the V2, they were cars in much more powerful condition.

There were so many cars in the SP10 class that Rosalina didn't have the patience to look at all of them. Instead, and like Skolar and Toadsworth, she looked at cars of interest.

A large British flag was being waved in the air around a luxurious looking car. It was an Aston Martin V12 Vantage.

"Crazy! How much money do they spend on that?!" Toadsworth shouted. "V12… that's a massive engine they've got there. How can we defeat a monster machine like that?"

"But remember that BMW is giving us works support, _and_ we're using a GT3 car," Skolar reminded. "At least we'll have an advantage when it comes to fixing and engineering the car."

If the Aston Martin wasn't enough, behold another car of the _same_ class and also British: the Lotus Evora GT4 from Team Lotus. Decorated in multiple sponsors, it wore the start number 101.

"I suppose we could keep going?" Rosalina said.

"Right."

They kept walking to look at the other SP10 cars, and left the cars and the British flags behind.


	28. SP8 and SP8T Classes: Big Guns

**Continuing on with the small chapter series.**

* * *

><p><em><span><strong>Chapter twenty-eight<strong>_

**Nürburgring GP: 10:39 AM**

**3 Days before the 24 Hour Race**

Mario, Torque, Professor Gadd, and even Koops went along to see the fierce and simple SP8 class cars. Additionally, there was also the SP8T class: cars of the SP8 reserved for touring cars.

It seemed funny to Mario. On one end the SP8 class cars consisted of those from chief manufacturers like Lexus, AF Corse Ferrari (number 77), Corvette Racing (number 15), and the works-backed Hankook Team Farnbacher Ferrari (number 89).

But on the SP8T class, there were cars like the Nissan GT-R and Volkswagen Golf GTIs (one, which from the race team called Touring, held the start number 68).

"That Ferrari…" Mario said to Torque. "It must have cost millions of dollars, pounds, euros... and coins to make."

The Farnbacher Ferrari model was built on an F458 Italia; renamed the F458 Italia GT. Like every car there and Koops noticed this, the car had the sponsor Gran Turismo 'The Real Driving Simulator', on each windshield.

The Nissan GT-R, on the other hand, even had the colours of the actual Gran Turismo game painted on it (carbon black, perhaps), with German and Japanese drivers standing beside it…

"AF Corse," Torque said. "So you've got a F430 model versus a F458 model… I think that that Farnbacher team might have potential to beat their class."

"And the race," Mario said. "All in all, we need a bunch of teamwork to get this thing done."

Like most of every car there was, apart from the obvious sponsors, they all had spoilers on the end to maximise downforce. The Volkswagens too had spoilers equipped on their tops as well.

"However," Torque said. "With the workforce we have in BMW, and high-end engineering that equally rivals everyone else's, this shouldn't be a problem."

They took a few more looks around the area to examine the Corvette, which was built on a modern Stingray model, and Lexus cars. For sure they were faster than the SP8T class, but then again their focus was to survive the race and hopefully win their class as well…


	29. E1-XP2 Class: Rivalry! Team Bowser

_**Chapter twenty-nine**_

**Nürburgring GP: 10:45 AM**

**3 Days before the 24 Hour Race**

By now, Luigi and Daisy had seen enough SP9 GT3 class cars to know what they were up against, but then they ran into a HUGE problem in the E1-XP2 class…

"For sure I tell you… we WILL take this win in the 24 hour race," a voice roared. "I know that BMW won't dare to cross lines with us!"

_That sounds familiar_, Luigi though darkly. _It couldn't be…_

"But…" the reporter started. "Isn't this your first time entering this race?"

"Of course it is! But I'll let you know that our car has been masterfully tuned by us at Bowser Motorsport Racing. I admit we are the underdog team. But it'll more than worth a shot to race here!"

Daisy's jaw dropped. There, in front of her, was the sight of a red-and-black Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport, decorated with the sponsor of Bowser's own and typical Nürburgring sponsor stickers, engineered to GT3 regulations with the start number 69. HOWEVER, the car was placed in the E1-XP2 class, and the one difference this car had compared to the others was that it was a convertible car.

To their biggest dismay, a large signboard was hoisted in the air reading '**Bowser Motorsport Racing**', with the Bowser insignia printed right above the words. Above all the worst was the heavy voice of Bowser himself, who was being interviewed by reporters.

"BOWSER?!" Luigi and Daisy said to each other.

"What could he want here?" Luigi brought up.

"Who told him about the race?" Daisy added.

But their questions were answered as reporters went to ask anyway.

"I'm here to challenge BMW Motorsport," Bowser answered to them. "I figure that since they didn't invite _me_, I decided to put together a team of my own! We crafted only the finest of cars with powerful works support. I tell you, rivals of mine beat me in a tour, so I'm here to make up for that loss!"

"Mr. Bowser, how do you intend to make that Bugatti of yours fit everyone else?"

"All we need to do is switch drivers like normal," he answered. "AHA! YOU TWO! STOP RIGHT THERE!"

He ended up pointing his hand in the direction of Luigi and Daisy, but they chose to walk away. Unfortunately, that didn't keep the press away. Everyone grabbed the twosome and brought them before Bowser and his crew.

"You see?" Bowser pointed to them. "These are my rivals. Back in our homeland, THIS lady beat me by a point! That will not go unnoticed!"

"Mister," another reporter asked Luigi. "How does it feel to fight against those from your homeland?"

"I'm in shock right now," Luigi stammered. "This is crazy… we're actually archrivals."

"What about the feeling of pitting yourselves right inside the hot spot rivalry between Bugatti and BMW?" another cut in.

Daisy went in front of Luigi to answer. "I suppose that Mister Bowser wants to make a comeback strike against me and my co-driver. Since Bugatti created the fastest car in the world, he may as well join try to take their first win here."

"THAT'S RIGHT!" Bowser roared over the noise. "PREPARE TO SUFFER A 24 HOUR DEFEAT! YOU MAY HAVE BEATEN ME IN THE SPECIAL CUP TOUR, DAISY, BUT WATCH FOR US IN THE RACE!"

Near Bowser, Luigi and Daisy saw, was his accomplices Wario, Waluigi, and his son Bowser Jr.

"Those are his drivers…" Luigi said. "They've got the racing helmets."

"Check it out, Luigi," Daisy said. "He's also got a massive pit stop crew too…"

The team consisted of Hammer Brothers and Shy Guys who were identified as those who would change tires and operate wheel guns as well as a Goomba (as Bowser had spoken to the reporters, would operate the jack).

Even worse, Luigi and Daisy recognised, their old enemies from back then Grodus and Captain Syrup were mechanics. Somehow, they figured that they _possibly_ could outmatch BMW.

Monty the mole was identified as holding the fuel tank. To top it all, Bowser had Kamek working as an engineer and –

"Mr. L," Luigi said flatly. "Bowser, how did you do that?"

"Well, Luigi, since you're so keen to know, I'll tell you!" Bowser said proudly. "I've hired him so that his intelligence capability will help Bowser Motorsport Racing! Anyway, I've got even a better hand than Mr. L: King Boo!"

_No…_ Daisy thought, seeing the oversized Boo near the back.

"What do you think?" Bowser said to rub it in. "It makes you feel like wearing those BMW suits are a great shame, aren't they?"

"Truth be told, Bowser," Luigi growled. "There are a lot of supporters for BMW too. We'll see how well you'll turn out on the starting grid and qualifying, and then we'll see."

Enough said and lingering around the E1-XP2 class Bowser Motorsport Racing team, Luigi and Daisy went to the direction of the other E1-XP2 class vehicles further away from Bowser's.

"Well KNOW THIS, LUIGI!" Bowser called after them. "I WAS THE ONE who STOLE GADD's PROTOTYPE ENGINE! YOU WILL BE DESTROYED BY ITS POWER!"

"If you're in the E1-XP2 class," Luigi said resiliently. "Doesn't that engine break the regulations?"

"Luckily for US, Luigi," Bowser said. "The E1-XP2 class is reserved for cars of experimental value. Since Bugatti never entered a car here, I'm going to try to win this place with one of the fastest production cars the world has ever known!"

Daisy and Luigi ended up sulking away back to the E1-XP2 vehicles near the SP9 GT3 cars.

"How could Bowser have found his way to the Nürburgring?"

"Do you think we might be outmatched?"

"He's even got works support from Bugatti! Did you see that?"

"Half of his team is made up of his army…"

The two spent the remaining walking time discussing about Bowser's surprise appearance at the Nürburgring, and it didn't help that he had clearly stolen a prototype engine from Gadd.

"Professor Gadd said something about having the force to power a jet," Luigi said. "All the same, he'll have regulations to work with. It just might be the thing that'll save Team Schubert."

"And everyone else's chances to win," Daisy added. "He's gonna destroy everyone!"

"At least everyone has good cars," Luigi said. "Farnbacher Ferrari and Manthey… nah, everyone's got a great chance at winning this."

But they still wore looks of worry as they walked to the E1-XP2 class, their minds on the seemingly destructive Bowser and his race team. However, a Bugatti Veyron might not have been the smartest choice to race on the 'ring.


	30. Rendezvous at SP9 GT3

**I'd like to inform this is the last of the short chapter series. Stay tuned for the 24 Hour Race!**

* * *

><p><em><span><strong>Chapter thirty<strong>_

**Nürburgring GP: 11:01 AM**

**3 Days before the 24 Hour Race**

After everyone from Team Mushroom Kingdom had taken their time looking at each of the classes, it was time to gather and regroup at the BMW Z4 GT3. On the way, they bypassed the other car in the E1-XP2 class: the Ferrari by Scuderia Cameron.

However, when everyone had gathered with BMW Team Schubert they noticed that Luigi and Daisy still weren't there.

"Wait… could they have forgotten?" Koops suggested.

"No, they're coming right now," Mario said. "See? They're over there."

But when everyone looked in the direction of the two drivers, they could tell that their faces were full of worry.

"Luigi, Daisy," Michael said. "What's wrong?"

"We – we saw Bowser," Daisy replied glommily.

"He's got a team of his own…" Luigi said quietly, and then looked in E. Gadd's direction. "He apparently was responsible for taking your prototype engine, and now he's using it to power his race car!"

"So what if he's got an overpowered engine?" Mario said. "We have BMW works support! They're only one team, after all!"

"They've also got a Bugatti Veyron to race in too…"

Lamm and Michael examined each one of Team Mushroom Kingdom, and apart from Mario and Torque, they all had the same expression of possible defeat.

"Relax, guys," Michael said in an assuring tone. "Remember that we have Marc VDS and Vita4One to aid us in our win for BMW. Even an overpowered engine won't be enough to stop us! What if that engine of theirs breaks down or if their car catches fire? As Uwe Alzen quoted: he would drive faster in a bad car in a nice team than with a quick car in a bad team."

Even E. Gadd laughed, and then they spent the remaining time to look at the Z4 GT3. Still, there were a lot of reporters to talk to, so they might as well help out BMW Team Schubert with the rest of the talking.

However, the engineers (Skolar and Toadsworth) were the ones who did most of the talking. Even if Bowser had the massive power of a prototype engine, Stefan Wendl made a point that anything could happen within a 24 hour race.

It was only three days until the race…


	31. Qualifying for 24 Hours

**This is it! Qualifying! If I had more time to write, I'd have written a huge chapter dedicated to the qualifying round. But if I did, I would be writing about a 6 hour race. I'm not worth that when I could write about 24 hours!**

* * *

><p><em><span><strong>Chapter thirty-one<strong>_

**BMW Team Schubert: 1:30 PM**

**2 Days before the 24 Hour Race: Qualifying Day**

The pit stop belonging to BMW Team Schubert was packed with many workers from BMW Motorsport who were working around the clock for the past few hours trying to prepare for the qualifying rounds and the BMW Z4 GT3.

Luigi and Daisy were dressed in their BMW race suits and wearing their helmets. This was followed by Rosalina and Yoshi, who were dressed up and their helmets in their hands too.

"Qualifying is today, finally," Luigi said to Daisy. "I hope things will turn out smoothly."

The Z4 GT3s with start numbers 17 and 18 were moved into the pit stop used by BMW Team Schubert. All the drivers meanwhile were getting ready for the qualifying rounds. At first, Luigi was selected to give the number 18 Z4 GT3 for a spin while Jörg Müller got to be first to drive the number 18 car.

Luigi put on his helmet and got in the Z4 GT3. Very soon, he fastened his seatbelt harness, ignited the engine and was ready to drive the car.

Daisy on the other hand gave him a wave, and in return Luigi gave a thumbs-up.

(Luigi's headset)

"_Okay, Luigi_," Mario said. "_I've got Skolar and Toadsworth to track down how well your lap times are. According to the officials, the lap times will come down to even thousandths of a second! Try your best, okay?_"

"You got it, Mario," Luigi said.

"LUIGI!" Wendl rushed to the car.

"Oh, yes, Mr. Wendl?" Luigi said.

"I made a little mistake. We're actually supposed to only do two qualifying laps. There was a little error in the file."

"That's fine, Mr. Wendl," Luigi said, as he got into the Z4 GT3.

**Nürburgring GP: 1:33 PM**

Luigi had never experienced racing with so many people before. Back at the Special Cup Tour, he like everyone else would try to knock out anyone in their way. But Stefan Wendl had made it absolutely clear that the Z4 GT3 was to remain undamaged as much as possible. So Luigi had to brake ahead to avoid hitting the Mercedes SLS GT3 in front of him.

"_Luigi! This is Skolar,_" Skolar said. "_You're not doing too shabby for a first lap. Just make sure you get those two laps done as fast as you can!_"

Exactly two minutes, forty seconds had passed when Luigi completed the GP portion of the Nürburgring, after that he steered the Z4 GT3 left and slowly entered into Hatzenbach, where he saw plenty of tourists, tents, and campers lined up behind the guard fences. If he had paid extra attention, he would have seen more of the tourists taking pictures and very likely videos of the cars. Still, he had to try to make a good lap…

**BMW Team Schubert: 1:33 PM**

"How're our two drivers doing?" Michael asked Skolar, with Wendl beside him.

"Müller is, as apparent, ahead of Luigi by two seconds," Skolar reported. "But Luigi seems to be faring well against everyone else. The Marc VDS Z4 is at least five seconds behind Luigi."

In a short while, Luigi would have done one lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

**Tiergarten: 1:39 PM**

Luigi brought the Schubert Z4 GT3 to the final bit of the Nürburgring, where he slowed down and did the tight and wide left-to-right turn. Shortly after, he finished up his first lap by passing the finish line.

"_That's very good, Luigi_," Toadsworth encouraged. "_A good 8 minutes and 22 seconds lap time. Keep up with another two more laps. You know what I mean? One lap for the time, the other lap for switching drivers._"

Luigi kept driving, with Jörg Müller ahead of him, but…

VROARRRRRRRR

A Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport sped right past him and braked later to do the 180 degree turn. What Luigi didn't find appealing was that it was Bowser who was driving the Bugatti, and it was apparent because the Bugatti was convertible.

"_Don't let him get you down, Luigi!_" Daisy encouraged. "_Just do a race lap like always, like the ones we have practiced for days!_"

_He's going so fast…_ Luigi thought, but he cleared that thought from his head to keep the Z4 GT3 at a steady-to-fast pace.

Incredibly, the Z4 GT3 _did_ have the power to catch up to Bowser although it was mainly due to drafting in his slipstream (driving behind a car where there is no air resistance, as the car ahead is taking the blow, it allows the car behind to gain speed much faster), the only problem being was how to pass him as Bowser was such a large driver.

"_Luigi!_" Skolar shouted. "_You can try using the edge of the track to pass him._"

So Luigi did that.

**BMW Team Schubert: 1:46 PM**

The alarms went off and shrilled to signal the arrival of the number 17 BMW Z4 GT3.

The flag man took out his signboard with the number 17, placed it vertically on the ground, and waited for the number 17 car to stop.

"_Okay guys,_" Mario said. "_It's time for a driver change_."

Boshi stuck the air pump into the Z4 GT3 so pneumatic air jacks could shoot from underneath the car and raise it. Jörg Müller opened the door of the Z4 and allowed a helmet-wearing Augusto Farfus to take a seat in the car.

"Make us a few good laps, okay?" he asked.

"Oh, don't worry, I'll try," Farfus assured.

While Müller was busy adjusting Farfus' safety harness, Team Mushroom Kingdom was hard at work switching tires. Birdo, the two Toad and the Koopa jabbed their wheel guns into the wheel, grabbed the loosened wheel and handed it over to the Toad beside them, where they each took their tire and brought it back into the garage.

Shortly after Koops and his friends placed new wheels into the empty spaces and the wheel gun users jabbed their tools into the wheel again.

Müller was still trying to safely adjust the neck guard. While that happened Team Schubert workers were busy wiping the windshield, mirrors, and all the lights on the Z4 GT3. The alarm shrilled several times more…

Everyone was done, but they still needed to wait for the two Schubert workers to finish thoroughly clean the front lights.

"Done," they said.

Boshi pulled the air jack out of the rear bumper and the car pumped back down to ground level.

A whistle was blown two to three times so that the civilians who were standing in front, side and behind the Z4 GT3 could move away and clear the area.

Augusto Farfus ignited the engine, and soon enough the Z4 GT3 was powering back onto the circuit.

"_Alright, Koops, you and your friends should better get new tyres! Luigi's about to stop too!_"

The Koopas popped into their shells to spin towards the garage and pick up new tires. They each picked up a tire, popped into their shell again with the tire on top, and slid back out to their respective positions. Upon arriving, they unzipped the wrapping of the tire to find a fresh tire.

**BMW Team Schubert: 1:47 PM**

The alarms went off again, and the flag man of Team Schubert put his signboard with the number 18 on the pavement.

"_Who's switching drivers again?_" Daisy said.

"_It's Yoshi_," Mario said. "_So just wait in the lounge with Rosalina for now_."

Under a minute later, the number 18 Z4 GT3 pulled over to stop with the front just touching the signboard. The flag man pulled the signboard away with both hands, and Boshi used his air pump again to inject the Z4 GT3. Afterwards the car was raised. The team got to work again.

"_Well done, Luigi!_" Yoshi said to him as he got out. "_Your past laps as Mr. Toadsworth said range around 8 minute 25, but that's alright._"

"You do well too," Luigi helped Yoshi in and fixed the back of his neck and aligned with the seat. "I warn you though; Bowser's car is a nuisance because it's so large!"

"_Ah, I've done lots of handling in the Special Cup Tour_," Yoshi said. "_It won't be a problem_."

**BMW Team Schubert: 1:49 PM**

Another 2 minutes 20 seconds later after the first pit stop, the second BMW Z4 GT3 was powering back onto the circuit.

"_Okay guys_," Mario ordered. "_If you want, you can head back to the garage while we wait for the next stop_."

**Schwendenkreuz: 1:53 PM**

Augusto Farfus was well ahead of many of the slower cars including that of the SP9 GT3 class and the number 69 Bowser Motorsport Racing. To Bowser Jr., though, Farfus was his second concern. They all needed to focus on the track, and Bowser Jr. was even more frustrated when the number 18 Z4 GT3 bypassed him and slowed down into Aremberg.

"_ARGH! HOW DOES BMW DO THAT?!_" Bowser roared through the headset. "_Keep it up._"

**Carraciolla-Karussell: 1:57 PM**

The banked turn of the Karussell nearly took its toll on Bowser Motorsport Racing as Bowser Jr. had entered the turn way too quickly. He was ahead of the number 18 Z4 GT3 for a time before he forgot to brake early. The number 69 Porsche smashed into the banks of hairpin at a speed so fast that bits of the front bumper broke off.

"_What are you doing?!_" King Boo shouted. "_This car ain't cheap! Take care of it!_"

**Bowser Motorsport Racing: 2:02 PM**

Now at the pit stop of Bowser Motorsport, the alarms shrilled to warn the arrival of the number 69 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport, which apparently was in very bad condition.

As the car pulled to the side, King Boo shook his head, saying, "Get that car into the garage now."

The pit stop workers, including the Hammer Bros, Monty Mole, Wario and Waluigi started to push the Bugatti into the garage so that they could prepare to repair the car after Bowser Jr. had gotten out.

"Let's get down to business," Grodus said, and together with Captain Syrup began to remove the front bumper.

"Well DON'T JUST STAND THERE!" Grodus demanded. "Get us a new bumper!"

The Shy Guys and Mr. L scurried away in a hurry not from Grodus, but to fix the car. Grodus and Captain Syrup, in the meantime, had worked away to dismantle the damaged bumper.

**BMW Team Schubert: 2:14 PM**

Earlier on, Augusto Farfus had switched positions with Uwe Alzen in the number 17 car, whilst sustaining minimal damage. The number 18 car had the same outcome, although it was a few seconds slower than the number 17 car.

"Apparently, Bowser Motorsport Racing had an issue with the Karussell," Mario said to his headset. "We probably don't want to end up like them."

_**Nearly six hours later…**_

**Nürburgring GP: 8:00 PM**

The racing teams, though, had to do a practice lap at night to get used to the track in utter darkness. Forget the Green Hell, this is jet black.

Rosalina was at the wheel this time, driving the number 18 Z4 GT3 with only its yellow lights showing her the track ahead. Under normal circumstances, as Luigi had just demonstrated earlier, it would have been a sure fright for any driver to drive in the night and lap times would have been considerably longer. The track could barely be seen…

But Rosalina, having had plenty of experience in the darkness out in space, had grown used to the dark track and amazingly went faster in the night than she had in the day!

"_That's an incredible speed you're going at, Rosalina!_" Mario said. "_Keep this up!_"

"Oh, it's nothing too hard," Rosalina said.

**Hatzenbach: 8:01 PM**

To her benefit, there were still cars ahead to show her where to turn: ahead was the Nissan GT-R of Schulze Motorsport, and the Audi R8 LMS of Team Pheonix. Even when she approached Hatzenbach, she managed to bypass _both_ cars and maintain the lap time.

Then again, they weren't racing at all, and since Rosalina was driving the faster car she had the right to pass both cars. Pole position was the goal.

"_How's the road over there?_" Mario asked.

"You can't see a thing," Rosalina said back. "Well, compared to Luigi I think that I'm the better driving."

"_I don't get you, Rosalina. Nobody does. You seem to be able to get us onto a better position on the starting grid at night!_" Mario said.

"Well, no one spends millennia doing countless studies in an observatory in space," Rosalina said in her own defence. "AND space is dark."

"_Good point_," Mario said. "_Anyway the engineers and I will keep monitoring you and see how good you can – for lack of better word – survive the thing at night_."

"I'll be at the pit lane after this lap, Mario," Rosalina said. "This _is_ my second practice lap, right?"

"_You got it_," Mario confirmed.

**BMW Team Schubert: 8:08 PM**

"_That's an 8 minute 22 second lap_," Mario said. "_Okay, Rosalina, that's it! One more loop of the circuit before you go in._"

The pit crew was outside waiting on standby for either Z4 GT3 to pull over for a stop. What all of they _did_ find annoying was, however, the racket coming from the Bowser Motorsport Racing pit stop which had a lot of arguing coming from it.

**BMW Team Schubert: 8:17 PM**

Alarms sounded in the pit stop with the flag man coming out with a signboard reading the number 18. He placed it on the ground for the Z4 GT3 to stop and removed it later. There was no need to switch tyres right now, and instead Boshi raised the air jacks while Donkey Kong started to fuel the car.

The civilians now started pouring onto the pit lane to look at the Z4 GT3, which (in the night) was parked with light shining on it from the pit stop and roof above. Camera flashes were also a factor in seeing the car.

It was now Daisy's turn to drive the Z4 GT3. She opened the door for Rosalina to get out so she could get in. Daisy alone saw to adjusting the seat to the appropriate length and height, and after that Rosalina saw to helping Daisy with her seatbelt harness.

"_Guys! Uwe Alzen is turning up at the pit in a minute or two,_" Mario cautioned.

"Good luck, Daisy," Rosalina said, finishing up her adjustment and left for the garage. Daisy took her seatbelt and clicked it in.

Other than DK fuelling the car, Team Schubert workers were busy wiping the windshield and the headlights. After that, the air jacks came down, alarms went off, and whistles were heard to send the civilians away.

The lights above went dim. The number 18 BMW Z4 GT3 started up and turned its high-beam lights on. Daisy tore off for the pit lane and powered back onto the circuit as the number 17 Z4 arrived.

**Flugplatz: 8:20 PM**

"Oh gosh, you can't see a thing! I don't remember anything!" Daisy shouted in fear, driving at a very fast speed.

"_Keep it up, Daisy!_" Mario encouraged. "_You're doing fine! Just make sure to remember to brake!_"

She saw the car ahead flash its rear red lights, and Daisy knew that was the signal to brake. When she did that, Daisy took a few precious seconds to catch her breath and concentrate on the track. Right now, all she needed to do was to turn right after passing this section.

"Agh!" Daisy screamed.

The Z4 GT3 shot off the rise on Flugplatz, which was basically a valley, and became airborne for a split second. Then, after that jump, the BMW landed on the tarmac with its edges barely crashing on the pavement. Out of panic, Daisy braked.

VRRRRRRRRR

The Team Marc VDS Z4 GT3 sped right past her. It came to Daisy that if she didn't keep up with the other BMW, she might as well have shamed Team Schubert as well. After the turn, she stepped hard on the gas and tried to keep up with the Marc VDS Z4.

_It's so dark, though…_

But she pushed that fear aside and kept trying her best to do a good lap.

**Bowser Motorsport Racing: 8:20 PM**

Alarms went off once more in the Bowser Motorsport Racing pit stop, as the number 69 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport with Waluigi at the wheel pulled over to the side right in front of Team Bowser.

The Goomba used only his feet to stick the air pump underneath the Bugatti (unlike BMW's, which was put in the rear bumper) and air jacks shot out of the car. Hammer Brothers jabbed their wheel guns into the wheel to allow removal. The tire was passed to a nearby Shy Guy who would hand over a fresh tire to the Hammer Bro and take the old one away.

Alarms went off again, with lots and lots of civilians taking pictures of the Bugatti.

Wario opened the door for Waluigi to get out. Wario stepped into the car while Waluigi prepared to align and adjust Wario's HANS device.

Other of Bowser's minions went to wipe the windshield and then moved to wipe the headlights. The cleaning of the lights was essential as every driver relied on them to move throughout the track.

"Okay, there we go…" Waluigi said. "Don't forget your seatbelt."

"Heh! Seatbelts! Who needs them?!" Wario laughed menacingly, but he buckled his seatbelt anyway while Waluigi slammed the door shut and went back to the garage.

The alarms went off again, this time the Goomba released the air pressure on the jacks and pulled the pump away while the lights above dimmed, and finally the car went back to ground level.

Whistle bursts were given to warn the public to move away. The Porsche's engine was fired up and its lights shined brightly in the darkness. The crescendo of its engine grew louder as Wario brought the car back onto the track.

**Schwalbenschwanz: 8:27 PM**

The final turns before Döttinger Höhe were passed by a bit faster than Daisy had done previously. The track was black, that was for sure, but fortunately for Daisy she had the aid of many happy campers' RVs and tents light up the sides which gave her some means of vision.

Later, she shortly did the banked turn in Schwalbenschwanz to end up in Galgenkopf, where she trained herself previously to slow down at this section so she _would not_ go off track and hit the steel barrier. After a couple more sloped turns, she finally ended up at the straightaway of Döttinger Höhe.

While she drove the Z4 GT3 through the long straightaway, Daisy could hear the sound of the six-speed sequential gearbox change from gear to gear, finally finishing the straight in 26 seconds (although halfway through she drafted an Aston Martin V8 in the process).

And since it was straight, she had no trouble driving through it in the dark. Within sixty seconds, she would have made it back to the Grand Prix track.

**BMW Team Schubert: 8:28 PM**

"An 8 minute 34.7 second lap," Toadsworth stated to Stefan Wendl and Michael Fong. "But it looks like we already have the number 17 car to set us a good lap of 8 minutes and 19.1 seconds overall."

"And what about the daytime laps?" asked Michael.

"Well, Daisy has set us a great lap time of 8 minute 21.7 seconds. It should be enough," Skolar reported to Wendl and Michael.

**BMW Team Schubert: 8:36 PM**

"Well done, Daisy," Skolar commented. "That's 8 minutes and 40 seconds; not bad for a race lap during the nighttime."

"_Thanks Skolar_," Daisy said. "_I'll be back to the stop after this lap._"

Outside, Luigi and Yoshi were watching the other cars fly by as alarms sounded in other pit stops (these alarms, ALL of them, are NOT alarms that sound like bells, the author assures).

**BMW Team Schubert: 8:44 PM**

Alarms went off in the Schubert stop, where Daisy finally brought the number 18 Z4 GT3 to the pit lane and stopped where the BMW crew was waiting. Yoshi was the last driver to get a practice with the Nürburgring at night, so Daisy helped Yoshi in.

Two minutes, twenty seconds later, the Z4 GT3 was powering back onto the circuit.

As Luigi and Daisy now had plenty of downtime, they could have used it to look at other teams. In the end, they chose to visit the Marc VDS team.

**BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS: 8:46 PM**

The Marc VDS pit stop was nearly the same as that of the Schubert station. Although the obvious fact was that the team members, while wearing completely different coloured racing suits than Schubert (of white, black, silver, and yellow as opposed to Schubert's white and M tricolour), had the words **BMW Sports Trophy** printed on the back. The other obvious fact being the garage had Marc VDS logos decorating it.

"Come to have a look at our Z4 GT3?" the Marc VDS manager asked them. "You're more than welcome to."

"Thanks," Luigi and Daisy said gratefully.

They had plenty of time (around nine minutes in fact) to look around before either Wendl or Michael would call them back to the pit stop. Fortunately, they got their wish as the alarms in the Schubert pit stop went off and the lights above went on. Civilians scrambled onto the pit lane behind the flag man so that they could get a good view of the incoming car.

Under a minute later, the Marc VDS Z4 GT3 arrived and stopped. The driver got out of the car and helped the Belgian BMW works driver Maxime Martin into the seat. Luigi and Daisy were astonished at the speed rate the Marc VDS workers were doing. Similar to Schubert, they raised the air jack to switch tires…

**BMW Team Schubert: 8:47 PM**

"I'm getting tired," Michael said to Wendl. "Do you think I could take a break?"

"Ha, and then soon enough you're going to fall straight to sleep during the race," Wendl said humorously. "Don't worry. I've seen footage of Team Phoenix taking their naps too."

Michael started to head back into the main building while the other members of Team Schubert were looking wearily at the lit-up track of the pit lane. It wouldn't be long before Yoshi (in a freakish mood!) brought the Z4 GT3 back to the lane.

Alarms sounded through an intercom above the pit lane again. While many reporters scrambled to get a view of the Z4 GT3. Unfortunately for them, this was the last time the Z4 GT3 would stop for the day (or rather, night). Yoshi set the car to neutral so that a few of the pit stop workers, including Donkey Kong, could bring the Z4 GT3 into the garage. Now, the day of qualifying had officially finished for BMW Team Schubert. The only thing needed was to get the results.


	32. The Starting Grid

_**Chapter thirty-two**_

**BMW Team Schubert: 9:00 AM**

**1 day before the 24 Hour Race**

"Okay guys," Stefan Wendl addressed to everyone from BMW Team Schubert. "ADAC has just posted the results of the qualifying stage. Now, we get to see our position on the starting grid."

He shifted his view to the widescreen TV on the wall and switched it on. After alternating through several channels, the view of the grid was posted.

"Unfortunately, since there are about two hundred competitors, we're going to have to look a little harder for our position," Wendl said. "Each team will show their fastest lap. I can give you a quick highlight that the Mercedes SLS GT3 has taken the pole position."

**1****st**** Grid Start**

**Team / Car / Number / Best time**

**1. Black Falcon / Mercedes Benz SLS AMG GT3 / 3 / 8:13.878**

**2. Hankook Team Farnbacher / Ferrari F458 Italia GT / 89 / 8:14.902**

**3. Manthey Racing / Porsche 997 GT3 R / 40 / 8:15.005**

**4. Audi Sport Team Phoenix / Audi R8 LMS ultra / 1 / 8:18.075**

**5. Reiter Engineering Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 FL II / 12 / 8:18.877**

**6. ****BMW Team Schubert / BMW Z4 GT3 / 17 / 8:19.122**

**7. BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS / BMW Z4 GT3 / 2 / 8:19.201**

**8. BMW Team Schubert / BMW Z4 GT3 / 18 / 8:21.668**

**9. Corvette Racing / Chevrolet Corvette C7 GT3 / 99 / 8:21.701**

**10. Audi Sport Team Phoenix / Audi R8 LMS ultra / 204 / 8:22.001**

**11. Vita4One Racing / BMW Z4 GT3 / 66 / 8:22.224**

**12. ****Manthey Racing / Porsche 911 GT3 / 15 / 8:22.328**

**13. Aston Martin Racing / Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 / 58 / 8:22.550**

**14. Manthey Racing / Porsche 911 GT3 / 112 / 8:22.747**

**15. Audi Sport Team Phoenix / Audi R8 LMS ultra / 24 / 8:22.948**

**16. Audi Sport Team Phoenix / Audi R8 LMS ultra / 26 / 8:23.044**

**17. Bowser Motorsport Racing / Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport / 69 / 8:23.139**

**18. ****Gemballa Racing / McLaren MP4-12C GT3 / 32 / 8:23.140**

**19. Vita4One Racing / BMW Z4 GT3 / 67 / 8:23.195**

**20. AF Corse / Ferrari F430 GT / 77 / 8:23.500**

**21. Matech Racing Team / Ford GT GT3 / 92 / 8:23.689**

**22. Rowe Racing / Mercedes Benz SLS AMG GT3 / 21 / 8:23.889**

**23. Gazoo Racing / Lexus LFA / 100 / 8:24.000**

**24. Manthey Racing / Porsche 911 GT3 / 90 / 8:24.145**

This only showed the top 24 positions on the starting grid. Following this list were at least 200 more racing teams and cars. Most of the first grid involved the SP9 GT3 class, anyway.

"Etcetera," Wendl said to the entire team. "The good news is that Jörg, Augusto, and the others have taken a comfortable sixth place on the grid. Incredibly, the Marc VDS team has slipped right between both Z4 GT3s. Overall BMW has a great chance at winning this race."

Luigi and Daisy couldn't help but notice that Bowser was only nine places behind their car.

"Anyway," Michael added. "I'll go over what our schedule will be like tomorrow morning. For now, I guess you guys can take a break for the time being. Otherwise, I would advise that we all do some exercise. We don't want these twenty-four hours weighing us down."

Adjournment came, and the team members of BMW Team Schubert left one by one.


	33. One Last Night

_**Chapter thirty-three**_

**Nürburg: 2:00 PM**

**1 day before the 24 Hour Race**

After a quick lunch break in the community town of Nürburg, Luigi and Daisy resumed their routine jogs from the town to the Nürburgring Grand Prix complex. Only now that with every jog they did they could see that more and more campers, RVs, and above all fans began moving into the Nürburgring. They could also notice that other teams were busy doing test laps in their race cars.

One of them which was Bowser Motorsport Racing, but they pushed the thought aside and continued with their jogging.

"Never mind Bowser," Luigi said. "After all, he's just here to compete."

Daisy didn't reply, but she happily kept up with Luigi as they jogged the usual route between Nürburg and the Nürburgring. Even after they jogged for the past eight hours, they still needed to stay fit as Wendl and Michael had strictly recommended.

**Nürburgring Motorsports Complex: 2:17 PM**

Jogging took only ten to twenty minutes before they arrived at the entrance to the Nürburgring. Incredibly, the entrance was packed with people taking pictures of the displayed race cars while others went to interview the drivers and workers. Fortunately for Luigi and Daisy, they weren't wearing their works drivers' suits at the time, so they were partly ignored by the crowds.

Feeling tired from the jogging, Luigi went to a nearby café to get some water and juice. Daisy did the same, paying in coins.

"We accept euros only," the cashier clerk said. "Where are you from, by the way?"

"The…" Luigi trailed off. "Mushroom Kingdom?"

The clerk ended up rolling her eyes, but accepted the coins as payment in the end. Thirty coins was the total.

"That's a little pricy for some juice and water," Daisy remarked. "Oh well, at least we can still do and keep up with our jogging."

They took their break and finished it quickly, not wanting to put off exercise for no more than five minutes. Afterwards they disposed of their juice and kept up with jogging to Nürburg.

The reality was: they only jogged to Nürburg using the route of Hatzenbach, which was extremely convenient. As they ran, the views of the hotels came in sight, but it was still a fair bit off. They kept up with running, anyway.

**Galgenkopf: 2:20 PM**

Bowser knew that the Gadd Science engine affixed inside his Bugatti well overpowered the rest of the competition. However, he never expected that once he reached the straightaway, the competition began drafting in his slipstream. Cars like the Farnbacher Ferrari and the Vita4One BMW overtook him, much to his annoyance.

He steered the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport to a point where he was going too fast and nearly crashed into the steel barrier when the side of the tyres caught onto the grass and the car began to spin. Fortunately the weight Bowser provided was enough to keep the car's centre of gravity on track. He kept on driving.

"_Alright, Bowser_," King Boo said through the headset. "_It's time to get a pit stop_."

Bowser grumbled.

**Nürburg: 2:39 PM**

At this point, Rosalina had been sipping some tea outside of one of the hotels in Nürburg. She had been consistently exercising by doing jogs around the community. She wasn't alone, as Yoshi, Torque, and even E. Gadd had been running around too to get their fill of exercise.

In fact, she had been burrowing the hotel's computers to check out pit stop videos from previous 24 hour races. She came across an interesting one that featured Schubert Motorsport in a BMW Z4 GT3, but was racing with Team Need for Speed colours, unlike BMW.

She got up later and resumed her training.

**Hatzenbach: 2:45 PM**

Skolar merely floated alongside Mario as they travelled on Hatzenbach to where the Nürburgring was. Mario, though, chose to train while listening to headphones. It _did_ seem like an ideal way to raise his morale a bit.

Along the way, he could definitely hear the roaring and fading of engine sounds of GT cars, private cars, and GT3 cars racing and practicing on the track. It was hard to believe that there were going to be over 200 cars participating in the race the following morning.

"It's not like there's anything to lose," Skolar said.

"Yeah… that is if Bowser could finish the race ahead of us," Mario remarked. "He'll probably scrutinize the entire Mushroom Kingdom about that when we return."

Mario thought back to the Special Cup Tour, where he took overall win throughout most races.

"Still, we haven't raced yet," Skolar said. "After all, the race begins in…"

He looked at the nearest clock but there wasn't one, so Skolar determined the time by using the sun instead. "…a little more than 24 hours."

Skolar continued to float beside Mario as Mario jogged. As a star, Skolar didn't have the need to exercise. But he felt better if he were to accompany the other workers before the race.

**Nürburg: 3:00 PM**

For Donkey Kong, the need for exercise was an understatement. As living in the jungle had been a lifetime's worth experience for him, all he needed was food. He spent the time eating at some restaurants in Nürburg, and continued to consume most of the Toads' money. But that was fine for them. They had too many findings of coins at the Mushroom Kingdom anyway.

"He eats too much…" one Toad said.

"We've got plenty more money in the Mushroom Kingdom, though," said another.

"Here," Koops suddenly popped up. "Why don't we help pay for his meals?"

He was followed by a few of his Koopa friends, and the Toads were satisfied that they did help with the payment. After all, Donkey Kong had a huge stomach! It didn't take too long to finish eating before the group got up to make time for more exercise. Only minutes later, they were jogging together through the streets of Nürburg.

**BMW Team Schubert: 3:30 PM**

While everyone else was busy doing their exercises and physical activity, Michael and Stefan Wendl were monitoring the pit stop process; Uwe Alzen had just arrived in front of the pit lane where crew members from BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS had just helped out with a tyre change, as the primary crew team was absent.

"Sorry if this takes too much of your time," Michael said to them.

"We're cool," the Marc VDS worker replied. "We can treat this as more training for us."

Before Michael could say another word, the alarms from the pit stop beside them sounded loudly, so he decided not to say anything, and instead nodded with a smile to the Marc VDS worker, as the Marc VDS crew went back to their respectable pit stop.

Wendl checked his watch. The race would begin in less than twenty-four hours. He knew that the rest of Team Mushroom Kingdom would be training right now… so he kept his watch on the pit stop instead.

It was only a matter of time before the green flag came down the day after… Wendl could imagine what the day would look like: lots of cars lining up on the grid. The fans, grid girls, and ADAC crew scurrying away as the roar of engines brought the track to life…

**Nürburg: 3:45 PM**

Daisy kept a steady pace upon running through the streets of Nürburg, followed closely by Luigi. As they ran, they could see banners being hoisted in stores all reading '24 hour race' and the Nürburgring logo. Furthermore, the TV screens were playing replays of the qualifying round.

On another TV screen showed the starting grid. It was one not unlike the one Wendl had showed them in the morning, although this one really showed the position as to where the car was to line up. It was fortunate that their Z4 GT3 had qualified in the top ten, so it was easier to spot along with the fact that the other Z4 GT3 and the Marc VDS Z4 GT3 had taken a grid position beside them.

"Well, we did it, didn't we?" Luigi said.

"Of course! According to Wendl, an eighth place on the grid is pretty accomplishing compared to the other two-hundred cars that couldn't make it to the top ten, let alone twenty," Daisy remarked. "I don't believe that we're going to race tomorrow!"

She shook at the thought out of tension. "Wow, it's going to be a crazy race."

Luigi mildly said, "While we're taking a break from the track, we'll be staying at the driver's lounge. Believe me, I can imagine that we'll be staying in there for hours. And we'll be staying awake for many, many more hours…"

"At least we'll have something to do, and some time to rest," Daisy said.

The two continued their jog, eventually turning onto the road near Hatzenbach.

**BMW Team Schubert: 7:00 PM**

"Enjoy your time, everyone?" Michael asked.

Everyone from BMW Team Schubert; Luigi, Daisy, Donkey Kong, Rosalina, Koops, and practically everyone else were gathered once more at the meeting room near the pit stop. The BMW works drivers Jörg Müller and the others were there too.

"I'm feeling refreshed," Toad said. "Donkey Kong had practically eaten all of our money while we were at Nürburg."

"I've just rechecked my toolkit," Torque reported. "I'm ready for the twenty-four cruel hours, as everyone else should be."

Wendl scoffed. "That's good to hear. Now, onto business…"

The team watched Wendl closely.

"Tomorrow the BMW Z4 GT3s will be brought under a tent for preparations. The drivers, Schubert engineers and mechanics – yes that means Torque, Toadsworth, and Skolar included – will meet in that tent to prepare for the race."

"Oh, and you should be getting to those tents at around 11 in the morning," Wendl pointed out. "Bring your race suits with you as you're going there. Expect quite the crowd who'll interview you about BMW Team Schubert or for photographs. Our trailer is white and labelled 'BMW Motorsport Customer Racing', so I'm sure you can't miss it."

Wendl added his final point. "And at 11:15 exactly, we meet at our designated camper near our tent to engage a briefing and overview of the plan. After that we all bring the car out to the pit stop once more."

"Finally, the cars will be brought to the grid by us and the rest of the Schubert Motorsport crew. We'll be shown by the grid girls and not to mention ADAC where our start position is. You're going to expect tens of thousands on the track tomorrow…"

Suddenly, there was a call through Wendl's phone. "Excuse me," he said.

After a brief moment, he switched off his phone.

"Okay…! Update. You'll be given a run-through of the Nürburgring as an entire group. Yep, all the cars from the 1st grid will need to stay in their same position as the starting grid shows while you all follow a pace car. When the green flag comes down and the pace car pulls away, you race."

"Any questions?" Wendl asked, and Luigi raised his hand.

"How does that work if all the cars are already on the track?"

"Put it this way," Wendl said. "The 1st grid cars will be driving considerably faster. By the time the last 1st grid car passes the start line, the pace car leading the 2nd grid will be right behind."

"Any more questions?" Wendl asked. When no one responded, or at least shook their heads, Wendl smiled. "Okay, then we'll meet at the BMW Z4 GT3 tomorrow morning. If I were you, I'd get some early rest."

Augusto Farfus raised a hand, and was addressing the Mushroom Kingdom participants. "I recommend waking up at about seven in the morning. That'll give you time to have breakfast and a nice drive to the Nürburgring after, and the atmosphere will probably be enough to wake you up before the fans arrive."

A thought suddenly arose in Mario's head. "Mr. Wendl. How _are_ we going to get to the Nürburgring, anyway? We don't have our own car…"

"I'll get Jörg, Augusto, and maybe Dirk to give you rides to the track. That'll be four times three a time… twelve each… there are twenty-two of us if not including Donkey Kong…" Wendl said. "We'll be done in two rides. Donkey Kong, I'm sorry, you're going to have to walk. It really shouldn't take more than ten minutes."

Donkey Kong nodded.

"Okay, well that settles that," Wendl said finally. "I guess this means good night. I'll see you guys tomorrow morning."

Everyone got up, nodded, and walked away.

Luigi and Daisy figured it was time to get some sleep as well.

**BMW Building Nürburgring: 8:30 PM**

As Michael had previously arranged, the private BMW building right outside of the Nürburgring had residence rooms for the team's exclusive use. The building itself stood one to two kilometres from the track, which caused the need for transportation.

Over a week before, the Mushroom Kingdom participants had unloaded their cases and set up residency in the building. Now, this just might be one of their last nights.

Luigi and Daisy happened to be sharing the same room with two separate beds. They quickly did what they could to prepare for the race (that is, pack their racing gear and such) and went straight to bed. Torque, who was sharing a room with Donkey Kong, had to get his roommate to help with packing as well. Mario and Yoshi were sharing a room, and Rosalina simply went straight to sleep without bothering to prepare for the day after.

"Just relax," Daisy said to Luigi.

"I'm relaxed," Luigi said happily. "But I can't believe the race to tomorrow. It's like it's been only days since we started…"

Daisy yawned. "I know… and this is why we're here right now. Well! Good night, Luigi."

Luigi didn't respond, but instead yawned too. They both fell asleep on their beds, exhausted from training, and slept not-so-peacefully, out of anxiety for the 24 hour race.


	34. Race Day: The Calm Before the Storm

_**Chapter thirty-four**_

**BMW Building Nürburgring: 7:30 AM**

**Day of the 24 Hour Race**

Luigi woke up and was not one bit tired. Daisy had shaken him awake and he quickly went for a quick brushing of his teeth. From what he saw, Daisy had already exchanged her iconic orange dress for BMW works clothes and some sweatpants.

"Morning Luigi," she poked her head into the washroom when Luigi had finished brushing his teeth.

"Oh, good morning, Daisy," Luigi responded with a smile. "Are you ready for the race? This is it!"

Daisy wrapped her arms around Luigi's neck and squeezed him tightly. Luigi choked at first but recovered very quickly. Smiling, he embraced Daisy in his arms.

"I've just need to get my cap," Luigi reached for his trademark green hat and put it on his head. He went to make up his bed and started to pack his things; starting with folding the works driver suit.

"Okay, I'll be making breakfast," Daisy said.

Daisy went downstairs to find that Mario, Torque, and Yoshi were already up and eating a small meal of standard Mushroom omelets, fruit, croissants, and coffee. Already, she saw Yoshi eating the food in a hurry as Mario drank a mouthful of water.

"Morning, guys," Daisy greeted.

"Morning," was the monotonous response she got, and Daisy's mood dropped a little.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked while firing up the stove.

"Nothing, really," Mario replied. "It's just that I'm feeling anxious that we really have to survive the race today. This is crazy! Not to mention that Donkey Kong has already woken up and eaten breakfast; he's packing his gear as we speak."

Daisy nodded and returned her attention to the hot stove, and began cooking a hot breakfast. She cracked open a few eggs to start cooking.

"Say, where are the others? Donkey Kong aside," she asked.

"I reckon they've awoken by now," Torque said, not looking up and drank a mouthful of coffee. "The Toads, the Koopas, and Birdo have gone outside to do a run and will be back in a few minutes."

Later on, Toadsworth walked into the room to help himself to breakfast, and following him was Boshi and Professor Gadd. After a morning greeting, they ate their breakfast.

**BMW Building Nürburgring: 7:35 AM**

Unsurprisingly, Skolar and Rosalina were the last of the group to wake up; probably most part due to the fact that they seldom needed rest. Still, they needed some breakfast and perhaps a little coffee wouldn't hurt to wake them up.

Luigi entered the room later, where Daisy walked to him with an omelet on a plate.

"We're sharing a plate," she grinned. Luigi blushed.

They ate together, and at the same time Birdo, Koops, the Toads, and the Koopas walked in. "Okay! Time for breakfast!"

Koops helped himself to some croissants and yogurt. Birdo prepared a glass of juice.

As the team ate breakfast, the other part of the team (that is, Mario, Torque, and Yoshi) packed their racing suits into their bags. Rosalina and Skolar drank their coffee and went to finish packing up first.

**BMW Building Nürburgring: 7:50 AM**

A while later, Jörg Müller and Augusto Farfus arrived at the front of the building. The first ones to get ready (that is, Rosalina, Skolar, Mario, Torque, and Yoshi) went to get their bags. They were shortly followed by Toadsworth and Boshi. Professor E. Gadd quickly ate his breakfast and packed his bags too.

"I guess we can come back later," Jörg said. "Don't forget your race suits."

Luigi and Daisy waved them good-bye as they left the building.

"Do you think we could use some extra energy, Daisy?" Luigi said to her.

Daisy shrugged. "I suppose another croissant wouldn't hurt."

So there, Luigi heated another pastry to eat.

**BMW Building Nürburgring: 7:52 AM**

Dirk Müller appeared at the door of the building later. "Okay, guys! It's time to go! That is, whoever's ready can come with me."

Basically, four of the Toads had finished their packing and had dressed up in BMW jackets. They followed Dirk outside where his car was waiting.

"So we're halfway done!" Daisy remarked. "I can't wait."

After washing their dishes, they went upstairs again to complete packing up their things. Luigi immediately went to fold up his BMW racing suit, but Daisy did the smaller stuff first: that is, storing up her gloves. Socks and shoes were also thrown into the bags too.

"Augusto and Jörg should be arriving in about two minutes," Luigi estimated. "I think we should hustle, Daisy."

"Oh, come on, Luigi! It's just two minutes!" she gave him a bump on the arm. "That's more than enough time to get our stuff done!"

**BMW Building Nürburgring: 7:55 AM**

At exactly 7:55 AM, Jörg Müller and Augusto Farfus arrived at the building again with vacant BMWs. This time, Luigi and Daisy were the first to get out.

"Ah, good morning, guys," Augusto greeted. "Here, you can come with me. Anyone else coming besides you and Koops?"

"Yeah," Daisy replied; getting into the car. "I think Birdo is coming with us as well."

Luigi opened the trunk to put in his and Daisy's bags in there. To make a convenience for Birdo, he left it open before he went to take a seat in the car. Birdo came to throw in her bag, and finally Koops slid outside with his bag and tossed it in the trunk. After that, he closed the trunk, took a seat in the car, and buckled his seatbelt. Augusto was satisfied at the time it took; he ignited the engine and drove to the Nürburgring.

At the same time, the other four Koopas were beginning to load their bags into Jörg's car…

**BMW Building Nürburgring: 7:58 AM**

Dirk Müller arrived to pick up the remaining teammates of the Mushroom Kingdom. By this time one of Koops' friends and some one or two Toad brought their bags to Dirk's car right after they locked up the residence.

"Okay… to the ring!" Dirk declared.

**Nürburgring: 7:59 AM**

Augusto Farfus drove his BMW through a security checkpoint where the parking was reserved exclusively for participating drivers. After that was cleared, he parked the car. Luigi and Daisy unbuckled their seatbelts, exited the vehicle, and grabbed their bags.

"Okay, we can take a look around the place if you want, but I think there would be more important matters to think about," Augusto advised. "I'm sure you've had your fill of looking at the other cars –"

"Hey," Luigi cut in. "I'm sure that everyone else would be pretty busy too. Let's go see if we can give the Schubert mechanics a hand."

They walked down the main road, where tents and massive transport trailers stood on each side. Furthermore, there were grid girls lining up on the road too (whom they gave the drivers a friendly wave). It seemed like there wasn't going to be a lot of space much longer!

Minutes later, Luigi and Daisy were swarmed by reporters and interviewers. Worse, there were so many more people asking for their autographs! At least Augusto Farfus had his share of signing autographs as well.

"So, Mr.…" a reporter began.

"Luigi," he answered. "You could say that my friend and I are BMW works drivers."

"Oh!" another reporter shouted. "I've seen you guys on the news! How does it feel to be joining BMW for the first time? You must be quite excited to be facing the 24 hour race! It's quite a shocker, but many people have heard of your feats in extreme karting…"

Daisy grinned. "It's true."

**Nürburgring: 8:30 AM**

For the past forty minutes, Torque, E. Gadd, and the BMW Team Schubert mechanics had been working tirelessly preparing the two BMW Z4 GT3s for the 24 hour race (furthermore were overseen by Toadsworth, who had Uwe Alzen test out the seating of the number 17 car).

"Yes, the seat is in working order," Alzen remarked. "Are the brakes fixed up yet?"

"The brakes are ready," Toadsworth replied. "But we think there might be a possible fracture with the fuel tank while we were reviewing the camshaft's function. We need to recheck it right now. Furthermore, we need to check the car's transmission and gearbox a few more times."

"Do as you please," Alzen said, getting out and examining the car. "We won't have another failure like one we had with the same Z4 GT3 in 2012. The transmission problem cost us the race, although we managed to climb back to seventh and eighth, respectively. This does not mean, however, that the Z4 GT3 should be considered unreliable."

Alzen glanced over at the Z4 GT3 with start number 18 and then stared off into space for a brief second. "Wait, have you adjusted the proper seat height for that Z4?"

"Nope…" Toadsworth said slowly. "Maybe I should get Luigi or Daisy to help out?"

Alzen nodded. "For a twenty-four hour race, there won't be ample time to adjust the seat height during the race. If you like, I can ask the Schubert mechanics over there to help you out."

"That would be nice, please," Toadsworth complied.

Uwe Alzen nodded, and went out of the tent. Upon exiting, he bumped into Luigi and Daisy.

"Oh! Good morning Mr. Alzen," Luigi greeted.

"And the same to you, Mr. Luigi," Alzen replied. "Your friend Toadsworth needs you to help adjusting the race seat for the car."

Daisy, without need for another word, grabbed Luigi's hand and dragged him in. This prompted Alzen to smile as he went to look for the Team Schubert mechanics.

* * *

><p>Daisy and Luigi were consistently switching spots in the Z4 and testing out which was the most comfortable seating position overall, which involved placing their legs within an acceptable distance from the brake and gas pedals. They also knew that Rosalina was considerably taller than the both of them, so that had to be dealt with when Rosalina arrived.<p>

"Remember this seating position," Toadsworth instructed, "because during the race you're going to have to adjust it yourself when your stint comes, and you'll be stuck like that for three hours."

After constant tests searching for the most optimal seating position, there was nothing much to do after, so Luigi and Daisy retreated back to the drivers' lounge to unload their bags. Their race helmets also could be stored there, and they could dress up after the briefing.

Meanwhile, the Schubert mechanics arrived at the tent to attend to the number 17 Z4 GT3; supposedly it was better to check over the car for at least another hour. This included another check on brake balance, and more importantly for any aerodynamic flaws. Naturally, the Z4 would have more potential for aerodynamics but still… the Z4 was engineered to GT3 specifications…

**Nürburgring: 9:00 AM**

There was a lot to prepare for the 24 hour race at the pit stops. Now that Toadsworth and Skolar had more than enough time to work with the Schubert engineers, the BMW Motorsport cars were ready to go.

"The cars will have to be brought out to their respective pit stops, and we wait until we get called to bring them out to the starting grid at eleven," Toadsworth reported, reading from a quick agenda from ADAC. "For the time being, we can say that the preparations for the Z4s are done. Perhaps now would be a good time to help out the Marc VDS Z4 while we're here."

Skolar though, had other ideas. "They can take care of themselves. Maybe it would be best if we bring the car to the pit stop _now_ don't you think? I say I'll get Donkey Kong and the rest of the pit stop crew to help us out."

It didn't take long before the Toads, Koopas, and Birdo were busy pushing the car to the pit stop labelled on a sign above, 'BMW Team Schubert'.

**BMW Team Schubert: 10:10 AM**

However, Mario had to investigate the pit stops to ensure that there wasn't any missing gear from the area. If anything, they hoped that nothing was missing.

"Is the inventory in check?" he asked the Toads and Koopas.

"All the extra carbon bonnets are hung on the wall here," a Schubert mechanic reported instead. "Everything's in their respective places and in order."

Mario checked his watch.

_We still have one hour before the briefing_, he thought, and whilst picking up some headsets to ensure they were in working order.

"Mr. Mario," Koops said, going up to him. "Dunlop has catered us a bunch of tyre compounds for us to use. It's really up to you and the engineers to decide _which_ one you want at the start of the race, and knowing which ones to switch too…"

"I think we'll leave it to the engineers to decide," Mario kindly concluded. "They have the better experience, but I'll be giving the overall order what to do."

"Of course," Koops agreed.

Mario glanced at the hard-working Schubert mechanics working tediously and efficiently.

_The kind of effort put into this race is just incredible_, he thought. _I have to give BMW credit._

"Mr. Skolar!" Koops shouted, interrupting Mario's thoughts. "The blue light here doesn't seem to be working at all!"

That got the team's attention, whether being Torque or the Schubert mechanics. Immediately, a minute later, Torque and Professor Gadd were hustling into the car: smoothly removing the blue light and replacing its parts and repairing it.

"I should also ask," Torque said, while putting the light pieces together and a new light bulb. "What does the blue light represent?"

The Schubert mechanics glanced at each other before one of them said, "It designates that this car is one of the fastest cars on the track. The other cars, like those of GT3 spec or those with 500 horsepower beasts are given this designation too. The likelihood of these cars winning, our Z4 included, are very highly in their favour. It also gives a warning for cars of much lower class to allow them to pass."

The Schubert mechanic took the blue light offered to him by Torque, and he crawled into the Z4 GT3, attached it back onto the windshield, as well as connecting the appropriate wires to the blue light so that the light would actually work.

* * *

><p>After the light was over with, the pit crew members left the pit stop, seeing that their work was done. Meanwhile, Torque and E. Gadd were double-checking the two Z4 GT3s.<p>

First of all, Boshi used a portable air pump to raise the pneumatic jacks for working ease (as the actual pump was outside) and then Toadsworth lifted the hood of the number 17 Z4 GT3 for the mechanics to look at. Torque did the liberty of tightening the screws of the engine while Toadsworth looked over a possible valve malfunction, and got E. Gadd to fix up the engine alongside Torque.

Crucially, though, was the balance of tightness they were giving to the screws, otherwise the car could fall apart. Most importantly was to get the tuning and repairs done before the starting grid was put together, or the race would begin without them. This was why everyone had been so tedious, and when something was requested, it would be done.

"I need my torque wrench," Torque demanded, and within seconds another mechanic handed Torque his toolbox and a torque wrench was equipped on his shell. Accurately, he tightened the screws and nuts he figured would impact the car most.

At the same time, Birdo's pit team were busily cleaning the brake discs with cloths while Koops' pit team dealt with wiping the exterior lights.

Torque kept his eyes on the clock.

_Six hours left until the race actually begins, and a little less for putting our car on the starting grid. Wow, I wish we had just one more hour._

**BMW Team Schubert (briefing camper): 11:15 AM**

It wasn't before long that all the drivers were gathered with Stefan Wendl for the briefing. Luigi and Daisy took their seats, and while they were at it gave high-fives to their teammates. Stefan Wendl, and Michael, smiled at the occasion.

When everyone had settled down, Wendl placed his agenda on the gathered table.

"We start racing at three o'clock today, should I remind you," he said. "We've worked out the order we're going to race: Luigi, Daisy, Rosalina, and then Yoshi. Each of you will do a single one-and-a-half hour stint to find a comfortable tempo on the track. When Yoshi is done with his first stint, we start switching to double stints into the night."

"The additional thing is to watch for any slight problems," Michael added, and by this he directed to the drivers. "You must coordinate in order for a successful stop. If there's any suspicious problems, report to Mario, and Mario will direct the entire pit crew what to do. I probably don't need to tell you this anyway, but choreography is _super_ important in these situations. We may have twenty-four hours, but I'm afraid we can't afford to waste them."

After some silence, everyone nodded in agreement.

"Alright," Michael said, nodding his head. "A reminder not to forget that you're to help the other driver into the Z4 and adjust their seatbelts first before you head back inside. Jörg, Dirk, and the rest should already know about this, and I'm _pretty_ sure that you've had enough practice to get the job done. Not to worry, though. Mario will remind you guys when necessary."

Michael glanced at Stefan Wendl, and nodded.

Stefan Wendl continued. "After pulling off into the night, Rosalina will come back into the pit at exactly 6:45, where sunrise is expected at that time and is daylight again."

He looked around the room, before saying, "Any questions?"

"Nah," Luigi said. "I think we've had enough practice within the past week to know what we're up against. I just hope that we won't have any inconvenient incidents while we're racing."

"Speaking of incidents…" Daisy said slowly. "What would happen… let's say… if the Z4 had unexpected mechanical problems like transmission or gearbox problems?"

Wendl smiled. "If we really have to, then we'd have to bring the car into the garage, take it apart, and see what kinds of repairs we can make do with. Normally, however, if the repairs extend for too long, the overall victory would be out of reach. It'll also depend on how much damage is sustained on the car, and if it's not that bad, the repair will be done in less than half an hour."

When everyone had finally gotten the point of what they were to do, Wendl closed the briefing. "We want to add another overall victory for BMW, I should add that Marc VDS Racing and Vita4One will be doing that too, and one for Schubert Motorsport. Moreover, our primary goal is to make it to the podium. That should be enough for us."

"Let's do this!" Dirk Müller shouted.

Wendl and Michael smiled, and then every driver left the camper. It was true that they had five hours before the race actually started, but there was still a lot to prepare for…

**BMW Team Schubert: 12:00 PM**

The final preparations for the two BMWs were underway in the garages, with Mushroom Kingdom teammates and Schubert Motorsport mechanics working constantly and, in spite of how much preparing and re-checking they did hours earlier, began to check for any more possible errors with the cars.

"Check it out, Torque," Boshi said. "Even before the race, there're thousands of people outside!"

Even with so much work on the Z4 GT3 to do, Torque spared a glance outside, and his jaw dropped: there were at least tens of thousands of people outside on the stands and on the starting grid. Furthermore, there was some looking in the Schubert pit from the outside!

"We're going to have a lot of racing and pressure on our hands…" Torque commented, and suddenly, like a flame sparked in his head, he said. "Speaking of pressure, we might have to check the tyre pressure again."

Immediately, several Schubert mechanics and Torque went to check the tyre's air pressure. Otherwise, the tyres could be flat while racing or worse, shredded. Fortunately, as they were going through each tyre the air inside (measured in PSI of course) was pleasantly stable and in check.

**Bowser Motorsport Racing: 12:23 PM**

Even with the interference of BMW Team Schubert and certainly the inconvenience of Mushroom Kingdom residents partaking with the BMW effort, the Bowser Motorsport Racing team members had no time to divert their attention to them. Like BMW, they were busily rushing and preparing the race-ready Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport they had been given, with the start number 69. The powerful engine mod was installed successfully into the Veyron's heart, but nevertheless was proving difficult to use in the conditions of the Nürburgring.

"Is there any external damage left on that car?" Bowser demanded.

"No, sir, we managed to get the repairs done last night," Mr. L reported. "There was some issue with the rear wing, but it's just been tweaked, so it will stay for the whole race."

"Excellent…" Bowser murmured, glancing constantly from the Bugatti to the outside, where at least a thousand people had gathered on the track. However, another thing that stood out to him were a lot of girls were walking in single file through the track, each holding up a sign with a designated number labeled on it.

"Say, Mr. L, what exactly are those numbers supposed to be?" Bowser asked.

"Oh, those?" Mr. L replied. "They're for the purpose for setting up the starting grid. Each car will line up on a spot on the grid and it's depended on how well the car did at qualifying."

Bowser shrugged, and turned away to discuss his strategy with his team.

* * *

><p><strong>The race is imminent!<strong>


	35. It is Time

**I've seen lots of views, but no reviews... :( At least you're reading this chapter!**

* * *

><p><em><span><strong>Chapter thirty-five<strong>_

**BMW Team Schubert Drivers' Lounge: 12:31 PM**

**2 hours and 29 minutes before the 24 Hour Race**

Finally, at long last, the BMW Z4 GT3s from Schubert Motorsport were up and ready to go. A short distance away from the BMW Motorsport pit, inside the building, was a drivers' lounge where the BMW drivers could take a break and rest on one of the fine-designed comfortable beds or have a meal. It was also the place where the drivers would change into their racing suits.

Luigi and Daisy were just one example.

Luigi was standing in a room right next to the bedrooms where the suits and race gear were kept. At this point, he had already exchanged his trademark clothes for a white racing suit decorated in BMW colours and sponsors (and not to mention a white fireproof suit from Puma, which was essential to protect him against burns in the event of a crash. The other drivers had to wear likewise). The only piece of clothing he got to keep with him was his green hat, although he could only wear it when he was not racing.

His hat, currently, was placed on top of the white table in beside him.

Indeed, his clothes, shoes, and his bag were neatly shoved into a small space in the cloakroom. And speaking of shoes, he was presently tying the remaining laces before he went out of the room. When the shoelaces were done with, he stood up to zip the front of his suit together, and sealed it by sticking and flattening the strap near his waist (labeled '_Luigi_').

He had to be quick, but patient at the same time nevertheless. Behind him, and Luigi knew this, were a number of racing suits openly hanging from coat hooks. They included Daisy's, Rosalina's, and Yoshi's too.

When his dress-up was all done, Luigi picked up his race gloves, putting on his hat, and finally grabbed his helmet to get out of the cloakroom.

Luigi got out and the first thing he saw was Daisy resting on the bed, with a lamp dimly turned on beside her.

"Hey, Daisy, it's pretty much midday," Luigi shouted, hoping she would listen. "Better hurry up! We certainly don't want to miss out, do we?"

She stirred, and Luigi grinned and glanced at his helmet, which had been generously given to him by BMW Motorsport and Bell (a helmet company). Luigi had been given the honour of designing the helmet himself, where it was decorated in colours of evergreen, black, and white. Overall, the helmet was black, with white and green lines decorating the helmet, along with his green 'L' emblem (emblazoned in a mid-sized black circle) on the sides of his helmet.

It wouldn't be the end to say that to complete the helmet design were Luigi's initials near the bottom of the helmet, a small red logo of the Mushroom Kingdom, and of course, sponsors from BMW (which included logos from Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts, the BMW logo on the forehead of the helmet, and a label "**BMW Motorsport**" right on the visor's top edge). At the upper sides of his helmet, simply printed on the white ring coloured on his helmet, carried a smaller sponsor logo of Castrol EDGE on the left and Randstad on the right. H&R logos decorated once on each side.

"Alright then," Luigi said, walking over to sit on the bed beside the sleeping Daisy. "I'll have to shake you awake otherwise we'll be behind schedule. Mr. Wendl and Michael won't be pleased either."

But before we could reach out a hand to touch her, Daisy instantly got up, kissed him on the cheek, and immediately went back to sleep. Luigi, aware of what had just happened, shook his head and got up.

"I hate to intrude, but I think we're going to be late for helping the team," a smooth voice said. "We're going to bring the Z4 out to the grid."

Luigi immediately blushed red. "Rosalina!"

He saw the honourable leader of the Comet Observatory crossing her arms and shaking her head. "I saw that."

"You did not!" Luigi denied, exasperated. "I – I –"

"You could at least wait for that until we're finished the race, or at the _very_ least wait until you and Daisy have finished your first stints," Rosalina continued.

Luigi stopped to look at Rosalina. She was still in her regular clothes of pale turquoise and teal, and not to mention her crown.

"But don't _you_ have to change?" Luigi pointed out.

Rosalina scoffed. With a wave of her wand, her dress began to shimmer. Slowly, the dress morphed into a fitting BMW works racing suit, along with the fireproof suit. Indeed, it had the exact same colours of white with the BMW M colours and sponsors. Luigi didn't believe that that was the same suit…

"If you looked into the cloakroom back there," Rosalina said. "You'll see that one of the race suits will be missing. I guarantee that."

Luigi nodded, then said, "Oh, and do you have your helmet too?"

Rosalina froze, stared off into space for a mere second, and then said, "I think I left it with Michael or somewhere in the pit garage. You know what? I'll go walk back there and help out the team while I'm at it. You better get Daisy up, Luigi!"

He didn't need to say another word, and he confirmed Rosalina's words with an assuring nod. She then walked away while Luigi looked at Daisy.

"Did you hear all that?" he lightheartedly asked.

"Mm-hmm," Daisy muffled, and finally she got up to walk over to the cloakroom. For Luigi, he was slightly envious that she could get some extra rest, knowing that they would have twenty-four hours ahead of them.

* * *

><p>Daisy had finished putting on the BMW factory racing suit and took a brief glance at the mirror. Yep, the words <strong>BMW Motorsport<strong> were proudly printed on the back. Afterwards, she took off her crown, laid it aside on the white table, and exchanged for her race helmet. Hers was a white helmet decorated in light orange and azure stripes with a darker orange flower on each side of the helmet, and her name signed on the lower side too. Like Luigi's, the logo of Crowne Plaza was affixed on the part of the helmet covering her mouth. The BMW logo, of course, on the forehead part, and half of the visor labeled **BMW Motorsport**. Like Luigi's helmet, meeting with sponsor logos according to BMW works drivers' standard, Daisy's helmet had Castrol EDGE in its place on the upper left side and Randstad on the upper right, with H&R on the sides beside the orange flower.

"Okay…! I'm done!" she called out to Luigi.

"Alright," Luigi shouted back.

In short, Daisy walked out of the cloakroom to face Luigi, smiling, and extended a hand to him.

"Come on, we have to meet up with our friends," she said.

Smiling, like Daisy, Luigi took her hand and got up. Eventually, they walked away from the lounge and into the Team Schubert pit garage.

**BMW Team Schubert: 1:00 PM**

Outfitted in dark blue jackets and BMW communication gear, Mario had no doubt that the team was ready to go. Similarly, Toadsworth and Skolar were wearing the same jackets and overseeing the final adjustments of the BMW Z4 GT3 before the pit crew (Donkey Kong, Birdo, Koops, and the rest) would begin pushing the two race cars out of the garage, as Wendl had planned.

What most of the Schubert teammates didn't believe at first sight was the size of Donkey Kong's BMW works suit (even since the meeting in the Mushroom Kingdom, Koops and the rest of them couldn't comprehend the size of DK's works suit compared to their own). Still, despite being oversized, it still carried blue-chip (first-class) sponsors and **BMW Motorsport** on the back.

The Schubert mechanics and Torque, meanwhile, were checking their radio gear to make sure communication with each member of the team was okay. Noticing this, the drivers took note and asked the other mechanics to ensure the ones in their helmets were in working order.

Michael Fong and Stefan Wendl stood on the side watching the team as well. Donkey Kong had just taken the liberty of moving racks of racing tyres to the garage door on his own. If that wasn't enough, Donkey Kong went ahead to move fire extinguishers to the front too.

Michael turned his wrist: there were only two hours left…

**BMW Team Schubert: 1:15 PM**

Even though the start of the race was exactly an hour and forty-five minutes away, every member from Team Mushroom Kingdom could understand why BMW Team Schubert had been working away on the BMW Z4 GT3s since the crack of dawn. There were hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the track, and at least a tenth of them were off in the pit lane taking pictures of the cars, asking the drivers for autographs, or interviewing the team engineers.

"Make way! Make way!" Toadsworth shouted at the sea of people. "We need to work!"

Slowly, he and several members of BMW Team Schubert plowed their way through the numbers of people. At this point, Mario and Toadsworth were outfitted in their respective jackets.

Koopas and Toads grabbed a hold of a BMW Z4 GT3 and waited for Boshi to insert an air pump to raise the pneumatic air jacks. When Boshi had inserted one into the Z4 GT3 with start number 17, the car was raised and Schubert teammates began rotating the car towards the left, where the entrance of the pit lane was. That way, the car could be brought to the starting grid facing in the right direction, and the fans on the track could get a better view of the car too.

"_As I've told you before_," Wendl reminded, speaking through the headsets. "_The grid girls have positions set up on the grid. All we need to do is bring each car to its respective spot on the grid._"

Soon enough, the engineers and mechanics from Schubert Motorsport began the push of the number 17 M3 out of the pit garage and towards the back of the lane. Luigi looked to his side and just _wondered_ how they were going to get the car through the crowds of people…

"Luigi!" Daisy sang. "Why don't we go and check out the other cars?"

Luigi shook his head. "I think it'd be better if we followed our respective car first, and then we can go check out the cars."

Daisy, quite simply, rolled her eyes and picked up her helmet.

**Nürburgring GP: 1:17 PM**

Luigi, Daisy, Rosalina, and Yoshi had no sooner caught the atmosphere of the gatherings on the track. There were so many people screaming, talking, and yelling… it felt like the atmosphere could boil at any given moment…

"Excuse me, sir!" a voice shouted. "But would you be willing to sign an autograph?!"

Luigi shook his head. He grabbed the marker presented to him and scribbled his name on a BMW poster while Daisy tried to plow her way through the massive sea of faces.

Meanwhile, Rosalina also tried to plow her way through and follow the number 18 BMW Z4 GT3 onto the grid (pushed by Koops, Birdo, and the pit crew) which its path was being cleared by a grid girl. They were heading their way past tens of hundreds of people towards a sign sticking into the air marked '8', which was where they would start on the grid.

Rosalina could hear multiple reporters writing away at their notepads while talking with race drivers, and at the same time could hear a reporter talking to a TV camera, "And now we're here with the drivers on pole, from Black Falcon Racing!"

_The guys on pole may definitely have the higher odds for victory,_ she thought.

She spared a few more seconds to glance in the distance the gleaming Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 with start number 3, along with a nearby grid girl holding up a sign (affixed to a pole) marked '1'. The car alone was empty, and then Rosalina realised that the drivers were interacting with their own business. These included talking with reporters, taking photo ops with the grid girls, and greeting other drivers.

_I have to give it to them, the Mercedes team _does_ have potential._

* * *

><p>Elsewhere, Bowser had lined up his Bugatti and watched the factory-backed Z4 GT3 pass by. Shaking his head, and even more angered at the memory of his historic defeat by Daisy at the Special Cup Tour made him want to win even more. However, he took into account of the factory entered teams and figured if he should be more concerned with them or BMW Team Schubert…<p>

He looked over to the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport convertible behind him. The Eifel Mountains and the Nürburgring, so he was told, was notorious for its punishing weather conditions and that the rain would cause the track to be a lot more slippery, and in turn required a lot more concentration. While for the drivers cover was not important, Bowser had to make do with driving openly in the rain. When he needed to switch out, a press of a control would automatically open a rooftop for the next driver in exactly ten seconds, which was roughly the right amount of time his team would need to get tyres changed.

"Sir!" a reporter shouted. "I see you've entered this race as a private team for the legendary Bugatti. Can you tell me what kind of tyre compound you are using?"

Bowser paused for seconds, and then said, "My engineers have a lot going on in the pit right now so they can't tell you, but at least I can say we're sticking to hard compounds. They'll be invaluable when we want to head off on dry road."

"So they actually _make_ the car go faster?" the reporter asked.

"Yes, but they have the worst gripping power," Bowser said seriously, but politely enough to not intimidate the reporter. "If all goes well, we may not have to switch tyres for the time being. We _actually_ have an extremely powerful heart embodied into this car. Its performance will without a doubt deal a crushing blow for many teams here."

"But doesn't that mean that you will have some trouble controlling this car throughout the entire race? What if there were some mechanical problems?"

That thought never came across Bowser's mind, and it probably did matter.

"If we really need to," he said. "We'll need a factory team to help us out…"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Yoshi made his way to the BMW Z4 GT3 behind Rosalina. As he looked up, he could see at least a dozen helicopters orbiting the skies. Back in the Special Cup Tour, he saw helicopters do appear in the same way, and he knew that both the helicopters in the Mushroom Kingdom and the Nürburgring would share the same purpose: to film, record, and broadcast the race for the public to watch.<p>

"The pit crew, like Mario, also have a private monitor to watch the race. It's essential that they keep track of what the car's doing and its conditions," E. Gadd said.

"_I can't HEAR you!_" Yoshi shouted back in his language. It was extremely fortunate that in the Mushroom Kingdom, E. Gadd had to be educated in the Yoshi language.

"I SAID," Gadd raised his voice, only to be drowned by the crowd once more.

* * *

><p>"<em>What happens if there's a flat tire and you can't see it on TV?<em>" Yoshi asked.

"Mr. Wendl and the Schubert team mentioned the car will have dozens of monitors checking what's going on. Tyre conditions, air pressures, fuel consumption… they'll all have it," Torque added. "So just race and leave the problems to us. If the car feels anywhere strange, we're going to have to make an unscheduled pit stop. The engineers at Team Schubert, me included, have the laptops to take into account of what's going on."

Torque was perched and carried by Jörg Müller as they followed the Z4 GT3. Müller grinned. "Just listen to Mario and he will make the general decisions what to do throughout the race."

"Honestly though," Daisy shouted, over the noise of the crowds. "Doesn't all this chaos and noise drive you crazy?! This is ridiculous!"

Jörg Müller smiled. "I wonder if you'll be saying that when the 24 hour storm begins."

Müller passed Torque to Luigi before he went off to plow through the crowd himself, towards the number 17 Z4. This left Daisy in a key spot of discomfort, taking in Müller's smooth counter. However, the roaring of people, microphones being brought in, and the sheer hustling of TV cameras quickly drowned her thoughts.

Finally, the drivers could see the spot where the grid girl was patiently waiting. She stepped further back (relative to the drivers) to clear some space for the arrival of the BMW Z4 GT3.

* * *

><p>Rosalina glanced at her helmet and left it on top of the Z4 to examine it. Generally, the colours decorating her helmet involved light blue, dark blue, and white. Mainly, lines of those colours covered the helmet, let alone some stars on the bottom rim of the helmet and a snowflake pattern on the top. Like Luigi's, Daisy's and every other drivers' helmet, the sponsor logo of Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts was printed on the helmet piece covering her mouth. Finally, on the top, a BMW logo was position on the forehead, and the words <strong>BMW Motorsport<strong> printed on the visor's top edge. Her initials completed the helmet, signed near the bottom. (Also, the sponsor logo at upper sides of her helmet, like Luigi's and Daisy, carried the logos belonging to Castrol EDGE, Randstad, and H&R).

In similarly, Yoshi looked at his helmet too. But unlike Rosalina was viewing his helmet in his hands. Since Yoshi had such a large nose, the helmet was fitted so that it would protect pretty much his entire head from sides to top to back, and there was a visor just in case he needed it for his eyes. But to keep the helmet in place, Yoshi would have to manually attach his helmet to protect his mouth, simply by sliding the two curved lower pieces so they would clip together at the front. According to BMW engineers and Bell (helmet manufacturer) the helmet would be very safe to use in the event of a crash. Speaking of which, the BMW Z4 GT3 should cover that.

As for design, the primary colours of Yoshi's helmet involved white and green, with some light blue thrown in on the side pieces. Decorating and printed on the very top of his helmet was a logo of the Yoshi egg. A small Mushroom Kingdom logo decorated each side of his helmet, and like every other helmet mentioned, **BMW Motorsport** was neatly printed on a white label on the visor.

For the sponsor logos on the helmet, Yoshi's helmet carried the Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts, Castrol EDGE, Randstad, and H&R logos.

**BMW Team Schubert: 1:19 PM**

"What's going on in the other pit stations?" Koops asked, looking at the troubled BMW M3 E46 in the distance. "Their cars are still in their garages!"

"There might be rare cases where the team's car might find technical problems," a Schubert engineer answered, while typing away at his laptop for weather updates. "There might be things like taking the race car apart for fixing the engine, or perhaps the fuel tank might be disintegrating into bits. If such were to happen, the team would have to fix or rebuild their car as quickly as possible. A _really_ rare case would mean completely dismantling the car."

"But that would mean they would have to miss out on the starting grid!" Koops said, astonished.

"Yep, and if the car can't be started within half an hour, the team will automatically be disqualified from the race. There's a reason why we at BMW Team Schubert have to perform maintenance on the Z4s early in the morning."

"So what happens if something _does_ go wrong with the cars?"

The Schubert engineer paused, and then said, "We'll leave it up to Mario to judge that."

Koops and Birdo looked in opposite directions at their neighbouring pit stops. Next door, the Vita4One Racing Team pit crew were already on permanent standby. Koops and Birdo even snuck a glimpse at what was going on inside…

"_They're probably going to be watching out for their car,_" Mario said through the headphones. "_You guys probably want to do the same for ours._"

**Nürburgring GP: 1:30 PM**

There was exactly one hour left before the Nürburgring cars would leave the starting grid for the formation lap, and another half hour after that before the 24 hour race actually started.

"Hey! It's you again!" someone shouted to Daisy and Luigi.

Daisy turned around and grinned. It was the drivers from Audi Sport Team Phoenix. Walking towards them, Luigi and Daisy gave each of them a firm handshake.

"I suppose we're going to see a great race?" Luigi casually said.

"You bet," the Phoenix driver replied. "Throughout my career here at the Nürburgring, I've never seen three factory teams from BMW race at once."

They continued to have a friendly conversation for some time…

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, all the other drivers from BMW Team Schubert went around talking with their rivals and competitors. But it was only the drivers, because the Schubert engineers, Toadsworth, and Skolar were busily answering questions on BMW's behalf.<p>

As for Jörg Müller, Augusto Farfus, and Dirk Müller: they were happily waving to the fans and audience on the stands. In response, the BMW fans roared with excitement. Elsewhere, Uwe Alzen had to greet his fans, charge into conversations with reporters, and finally have a word with the Team Schubert drivers.

For Rosalina, she also found it amusing that some drivers went to take pictures with the pretty grid girls. But since Rosalina herself was a girl, she just wasn't interested. But still, she could welcome taking pictures with other BMW drivers at least.

Literally, for the fans, it felt like the atmosphere could explode at any moment.

Literally, for the drivers, they were not concerned about the atmosphere exploding now, but how it would explode at three o'clock.

**Nürburgring Broadcasting: 1:35 PM**

In one of the high buildings overlooking the Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit, was a broadcasting office where the entire race would be televised and recorded. Commentary was also available, and it was going to be a challenge for the commentators to, like the drivers, make a full report of the race for twenty-four hours.

There were six commentators: two who would broadcast the local German program, two who would broadcast in French, and the other two in English. TV screens flashed in front of their eyes, and most were showing aerial views from the helicopters.

"Here are the teams," the broadcaster reported. "Starting from pole will be Black Falcon Racing. The Mercedes Benz SLS AMG GT3 will be leading the charge…"

"And there's an _unusual_ entry by Bowser Motorsport Racing, who will be driving in a convertible Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport. It's no surprise, since they seem to have an impossibly big driver lineup in terms of height. But it is a surprise that a hyper car is partaking in the 24 hour race."

**BMW Team Schubert: 1:43 PM**

After some time, the Schubert pit crew could clearly tell that most other teams were ready to race. The Ferrari F430 GT3 entered by AF Corse had finally completed their remaining emergency repairs and they were now pushing their incredible racer out of the pit lane and towards the grid.

Other teams, however, were _still_ not ready.

"Fortunately for them," said Toad. "They always want to aim for a spot on the podium in their class. They can start off last and still have a hope to win."

Torque and E. Gadd were inside the pit garage, resting on a bench beside other Schubert mechanics, in the room where tools, extra parts, and much more important racing repairs for the BMW Z4 GT3 were kept. In their hearts, they certainly wanted to watch the starting grid, but they were confined to permanent standby just in case…

"I'm quite sure Michael or Mr. Wendl would mind," Torque said. "How about we pop outside for a minute before we head back in here?"

If the mechanics had any hint of rejection at all, they never showed it.

Donkey Kong and Boshi were waiting outside in the sunlight to watch the indistinct chatter going on directly across from them. They only thing that separated race teams from the hordes of sound was a lone barrier and fence…

And yet, there were ADAC officials, camera crews, and fans watching the teams from all ends. Whether being on the ground level, on the stands, on the starting grid, or on the balconies that towered directly above them.

"Come again, why did we bother using intermediate level tyres?" Boshi said into his headset.

"_There might be a somewhat good chance that we'll encounter rain in this race_," Mario explained. "_Just to let you know, it might pay off if rain ever comes early in the race. We lose a little speed with the car, but in exchange we get better grip in the wet._"

The fuel tank, which of course was necessary for giving the car some energy, was carefully stored outside of the garage. Boshi had the air pump in his hands, and the first shift of the pit crew was waiting in position, holding their breath. BMW Team Schubert workers were also waiting as well. One was holding a board needed to give the Z4 its stopping distance, the other holding a fire extinguisher.

Birdo and her team were handling the first shift. She looked nervously at the clock.

_Forty-five more minutes…_

* * *

><p><strong>Review...? It's a good story, you have to admit.<strong>


	36. Final Preparations

**Nürburgring GP: 2:00 PM**

**1 hour before the 24 Hour Race**

As Stefan Wendl had envisioned much earlier on, the grid girls were beginning to walk away from the starting grid in formation, and the car engines had yet to roar to life. At the same time, the ADAC officials had to do the punishing task of escorting the fans away from the grid so that the cars would finally have some space. Unfortunately, or possibly not, they had half an hour to get all that done.

He could also see, from the TV monitor, that the members from BMW Team Schubert were beginning to clear away as well.

The number 18 car with Luigi at the wheel was still being cleared, but still –

(Wendl's headset)

"_Say, Mr. Wendl,_" Luigi said suddenly. "_If there are at least two hundred cars participating, then how can they hope to fit all the cars on there at once?_"

"You'll be racing in different formations," Wendl replied. "There will be, I think, three or four separate grids for the cars. You see, there's a reason ADAC has a safety car out so that the first grid can't lap the last grid in at least eight minutes. Besides, eight minutes is just enough time for the other grids to line up and get racing."

"_I see_," Luigi replied, understanding.

For one final necessary thing to do, Luigi lifted his helmet and put it over his head.

On the grid, Luigi put on his HANS device around his shoulders and secured it.

He followed up with putting on a pair of earphones, which were mandatory to communicate with Mario and the others. After this, he reached for his helmet and put it over his fireproof-hood-covered head. Luigi fastened the helmet anchors on each side of the HANS device to his helmet, and soon enough Luigi reached for the Z4 GT3's door.

He finally opened the left-side door of the number 18 BMW Z4 GT3 and crawled into it, trying to find a comfortable position with the seat and adjusting the height. Beside him, Daisy was helping him attach the helmet and seatbelt harness to Luigi as well.

"No pressure," she said.

"No of course not," Luigi said, confirming her words.

"If I could, I would have given you a kiss right now, but I think it's a bit late for that," she said. "Instead, I'll help you with your seatbelt."

She helped Luigi pull one seatbelt over the driver's shoulder while the same driver brought the other four seatbelts and secured them. Daisy gave him a clamp on the shoulder, closed the door, and then she went to follow the Schubert teammates away, leaving Luigi to glance at her once more.

Luigi took a deep breath, exhaled, and focused on the car in front of him, which happened to be the sister BMW Z4 GT3 with start number 17. Speaking of that, the car that would actually start between him and the sister Z4 was the BMW Team Schubert Z4 GT3. To Luigi, he could not help but think it as a coincidence that the factory-coloured BMWs would start right next to each other on the grid.

Mario was standing right beside Daisy, and as Luigi closed the door, Mario had to check if the communications systems were in working order.

(Luigi's earphones)

"_I can see that everything's packed in there!_" Mario said, half-amused. "_If you're anywhere worried about Bowser, I can assure you that he's got enough fans to look after him. I haven't seen him this happy since the Special Cup Tour…_"

"Is he really?" Luigi said, also amused at Mario's report. "Oh well, I can't really blame him. There're a lot of people here, I'll give him that."

Luigi wanted to look around him, but there was only so much room to look at. For one, he couldn't turn his head a lot because of his helmet, but at least he could see all his mirrors. Secondly, he glanced at the steering wheel, which really was extensively race-modified from ignition with a press of a button to scanners and monitors that linked directly to the engineers' laptops.

It wouldn't be long before the green flag would come down. Luigi rested his fingers on the start button that would ignite the V8-powered engine of the BMW M3, which rested in the Z4 GT3.

**BMW Team Schubert: 2:10 PM**

"There are a LOT of people out there," Koops said, just coming back into the pit garage. "We have like – what – twenty minutes before the grid starts and there're still thousands of people out on the track. I'd like to see what the officials do to get the people off. Not even half of them are out yet."

"_It sure looks like it's clearing up,_" Birdo said. "_I think they'll be able to get it done in ten minutes. You think?_"

Daisy reappeared in the pit garage, nodded to the BMW Schubert mechanics, and then she went to rejoin Yoshi and Rosalina. Like Rosalina and Yoshi, they exchanged their race helmets for the time being for BMW Motorsport sports caps.

The three drivers rejoined Mario, along with Dirk Müller, Augusto Farfus, and Uwe Alzen, to watch the TV screen broadcasting the entire starting grid. If that wasn't enough, a large screen charting every known racer numerically from pole position to last was set beside the TV.

_We're completely prepared,_ Daisy thought, looking at the clock. _Twenty-four hours…_

Even outside of the garage, other teams were still not ready. The BMW M3 that Koops had spotted just under an hour earlier had finally completed their repairs and was awaiting the first grid to start. Other teams, such as Volkswagen or the Nissan GT-R powered by Schulze, had to complete their repairs too.

**Nürburgring GP: 2:19 PM**

At this point, the entire starting grid had been cleared and all that were remained were ADAC officials and, of course, the cars of the first starting grid. The crowds that occupied the starting grid were either out on the stands, or they left the Grand Prix track to head to their campsites out on the Nürburgring.

On pole position was the SLS AMG GT3 by Black Falcon. From Luigi's perspective, the pace car with the yellow lights was making its way to the front of the SLS. The more he waited and watched, and the more he thought of the clock hitting three o'clock, the more he got nervous.

_I just hope I won't screw up_, he thought.

"_Hey! Luigi!_" the voice of Augusto Farfus rang in his ears. "_Just to let you know, there's absolutely no overtaking on the first lap. I know you know that already, but when you see the cars swerving left and right, try to follow the line._"

"Got it," Luigi confirmed. "By the way, Mr. Farfus, how much longer until 2:30?"

"_From the looks of it…_" Farfus' voice trailed, clearly telling Luigi he was looking at the clock. "_There's ten more minutes. From the camera view, the ADAC officials are talking with… the driver in the pace car_."

"_You know, Luigi,_" Stefan Wendl said. "_If you're really fast enough, you could actually lap the remaining starting grid. But you'll have eight minutes to do it._"

* * *

><p>For the Bowser Motorsport Racing Bugatti, Bowser was at the wheel with the cover concealed in the back (off course it wasn't needed, for Bowser was simply oversized). The prototype Gadd-developed engine empowering the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport was innocently lying still underneath the hood. Unfortunately for Bowser, the engine had to be partly modified to fit the E1-XP2 regulations. However, the engine was experimental, and who knows what the engine was capable of.<p>

Bowser's helmet was black with his trademark red Bowser ensigns, and was securely fixed onto the respective driver's head.

_If I really wanted to, I would have cheated and knock away any nearby cars,_ Bowser thought. _But there are cameras EVERYWHERE, and besides, smashing into other cars won't do the Bugatti any good._

He looked at his surroundings while the pace car was getting ready to depart. Brilliant cars, like the two Audi R8 LMS Ultras in front of him or the Gemballa Racing McLaren behind him looked just as hyped to race too. If that wasn't enough, the Vita4One BMW Z4 was patiently waiting from behind too.

**Nürburgring GP: 2:29 PM**

An ADAC official was clearly in sight in front of the pole position SLS AMG. He began to raise the massive yellow flag in his hands.

_ROAR…!_

_ROAR…!_

_ROAR…!_

All around the starting grid, and in front of the pit crews and the spectators in the stands, the roaring of racing engines brought to life rebounded and echoed through the walls, air, and the environment of the Nürburgring start line.

Luigi followed the environment and, with the press of a button on the steering wheel (with the BMW Motorsport racing glove), and within moments the sound of the V8 engine began to vibrate against his back.

_The BMW Z4 GT3…_ Luigi thought. _Let's see what kind of potential you've got._

At this point, the ADAC official nodded to the driver in the pace car, and soon enough the pace car's flashing yellow lights were on. Last of all, the ADAC official began to walk through the middle of the starting grid. As each car was lined up in twos, this gave some ease.

**BMW Team Schubert: 2:29 PM**

Literally, everyone in the BMW Team Schubert garage was holding their breath. Besides the BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS or Vita4One garages, everyone was the same.

Meanwhile, outside of the garage, the extremely few remaining GT3 cars that were doing emergency repairs had failed to approach their appropriate spot on the grid. So they would have to push their car to the back of the grid. Moreover, there were cars of lesser performance that looked like they wouldn't be able to start on the grid at all, and if they weren't fully repaired for a time… they would get evicted.

As for Team Schubert, everyone's eyes were glued to the TV monitor…

* * *

><p><strong>No need to review, but review if you'd like. At least it keeps me up-to-date that you're reading!<strong>


	37. Rolling Start

**Thank you to all readers, and especially 4fireking, for continuing to read!**

* * *

><p><strong>Nürburgring GP: 2:30 PM<strong>

**30 minutes before the 24 Hour Race**

Luigi eyed the ADAC official waving the massive yellow flag through the starting grid, and soon enough, the roaring engines with their respective racing counterparts began to move. One by one, the cars began to accelerate and fall in line. The pace car, a Volkswagen Golf GTI, started its path to lead the cars through their formation lap.

The pole position Black Falcon SLS AMG basically led the pack, save for the pace car.

Eventually, Luigi saw the sister Z4 and the Team Marc VDS Z4 begin to move too. Finally, he stepped down on the gas to follow the Z4, and the Z4 GT3 began its part to flow with the grid.

Luigi knew that he had to concentrate, as he began to make the tight 180 degree turn to enter the Grand Prix circuit. Although this was barely the beginning of the race, Luigi felt like the twenty-four hours were going to be somewhat excruciatingly long.

**BMW Team Schubert: 2:31 PM**

"It will take, at their current pace, about three minutes for them to finish running through the Grand Prix track before they enter the Nordschleife," a BMW Motorsport engineer reported. "In the meantime, we just have to keep waiting, unless someone wants to do something else right now. We still have half an hour before the green flag comes down."

Outside, the pit crew for the first shift were busy looking outside at more cars who were lining up for the second starting grid. Audi A4s, Mercedes CLKs, BMW M3s, Nissan GT-Rs, and many more supercars were lining up on their positions on the grid. Naturally, these wouldn't be the star private factory teams, but simply private racing teams who would line up on this grid.

"They will leave the grid when everyone has lined up," the same engineer said. "…in spite that we still have half an hour."

Daisy, Rosalina, and Yoshi were still watching the televised monitor that showed an aerial view of the first grid. Just behind the first grid, the second grid was lining up.

_Focus!_ Daisy thought. _The BMW Z4 GT3 comes first._

To every pit garage out on the Nürburgring, time seemed to have drastically slowed down. At this point, the first grid was still in the process of passing through the Grand Prix circuit and had yet to approach the Michael Schumacher S-exit. Daisy rejoined the rest of BMW Team Schubert, who were watching the TV monitor.

"I've a question," Daisy said, directing to Michael. "If we drivers ever get tired, should we head back to the lounge?"

"_I thought we talked about this before…_" Michael murmured, but he was patient. "It's your call. If it's not your stint, then it would be better if you get some rest. However, you've got to make sure you're well-rested to some point that you won't become lazy. Otherwise, that would be detrimental to your efforts, and it would jeopardize our chances for a podium finish."

Daisy looked frightened, but Michael relaxed.

"Don't worry. I guess someone could just shake you awake when your stint's coming up."

**Hatzenbach: 2:36 PM**

Incredibly, like the BMW Motorsport engineer's prediction, it took exactly three minutes to exit the Grand Prix circuit. Since there was a schedule to keep, that the pace car had to leave the track at exactly three o'clock, there was twenty-five minutes to use to complete a full lap of the Nürburgring.

Luigi slowed the BMW Z4 GT3 to avoid hitting the Marc VDS Z4 in front. Using the technique the BMW works drivers told him, he swerved the car left and right and several cars behind him followed this action.

In reality, as Jörg Müller and Dirk Müller had decided to properly tell the drivers what the swerving method was about, the technique was indeed supposed to slow the car down, but it also saved the brakes from receiving wear and damage. After all, podium finishes could come down to minutes or even seconds, so prolonging the brakes' use was important.

Right as he did this, the track descended into a downward-sloped left curve. He drove the car in the respective direction where the track flattened a little to provide some means of straight. The other cars behind him, some serving left to right to avoid collision, were driving at their normal speed too.

Not long would the track turn into the dangerous turns of Hatzenbach. In Luigi's opinion, if the race were start at this moment, he could only imagine the amount of cars that would be colliding with each other right now.

* * *

><p>At the same time, Bowser also did his best to avoid collisions in his Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport. Personally, he would have loved to damage other cars but…<p>

"_YOU CAN'T BUMP INTO OTHER CARS LET ALONE DAMAGE THEM!_" King Boo's voice roared in his head. "_YOU'LL DAMAGE THE CAR ITSELF!_ _IT'S FOR THE GOOD OF THE TEAM THAT YOU DON'T COLLIDE!_"

**Flugplatz: 2:37 PM**

Normally, at this part of the track, Luigi would have seen multiple cars attempting their top speed at this section of track, where the change in elevation would dramatically rise a few metres vertical. By the time Luigi could start trekking the car upward, he suddenly felt the heavy feeling of inertia pushing his entire body back into his seat.

The Black Falcon SLS on pole position seemed to maintain its pace just perfectly, mainly most part due to the fact it was leading the pack of race cars without much pressure from hitting the pace car in front.

After the rise up, the pace car drove on a straight for at least ten seconds before making a slight turn right, where Flugplatz would slowly slip into Swendenkreuz, and ultimately Aremberg.

**BMW Team Schubert: 2:40 PM**

Meanwhile, the participants of the second grid had left for following the second pace car. Soon enough, after the last car of the second grid had left and the yellow flags were waving non-stop, a third pace car had lined up near the finish line and the remaining cars of the third grid began to line up.

"When they depart," a Schubert engineer reported. "That will be the last of the participants in the race. In exactly twenty minutes, the race will begin."

Lineup seemed to take forever, as the cars slowly took their respective positions on the grid.

The Schubert Motorsport team of BMW Motorsport tediously watched the TV cameras, outside, or even the equipment inside the pit garage. Engineers like Toadsworth and Skolar, Schubert, or BMW Motorsport, were keeping a close eye on many duties: weather, data on the BMW Z4 GT3, conditions of tires, and many more.

Meanwhile, Mario, along with Stefan Wendl, silently watched the monitor as the first grid made their way through Kallenhard and Wehrseifen.

**Einfahrt Breidscheid: 2:41 PM**

As the BMW Z4 GT3 with start number 18 driven by Luigi assed the most densely populated area of the Nordschleife (that is, the largest campsite), Luigi could smell the distinct odour of a typical fired-up barbeque. It appeared either some people had been eager to make dinner early, or they had forgotten about lunch.

It was fortunate that Luigi had a decent enough breakfast to keep him going, as the scent of bratwurst literally filled the car.

Luigi struggled not to hit the car in front of him, in spite that it was the Marc VDS Z4. However, the point was that the grid was moving at an incredibly low speed (at least for a race car).

**Nürburgring GP: 2:43 PM**

Outside, when the yellow flag went down and the third and final grid had departed, it felt like the world had come to a standstill.

It was moderately quiet, and spectators in the stands or in the observation buildings had their eyes glued to the massive screen that kept watch on the first grid. However, the most part due to the quietness was from the massive wide-open space available by the complex.

After all, at least an eighth of the spectators who had initially been at the starting grid had now returned to their campsites in the Nordschleife. Nevertheless, there were still plenty of people in the stands watching and cheering on the drivers and teams on the track.

Only a few minutes later did the final grid depart. The pit crew of BMW Team Schubert (that is, the first shift of Birdo, two Toads, a Koopa, and two of Koops' friends stood watching. Meanwhile, the drivers were also still watching the monitor, although they tried to distract themselves with a little wandering outside.

"I can't believe we're going to stay like this for twenty-four hours…" Daisy complained.

"When I was at the Observatory, I had to stay at that same building for millennia," Rosalina said, amused. "Don't forget that all I saw were stars and just the building."

_Which in that case you never get bored,_ Daisy secretly thought.

**Carraciola-Karussell: 2:44 PM**

Now, the Volkswagen pace car began the descent into the Karussell at the slow and steady pace it had maintained for most of the time. The Black Falcon Mercedes on pole position followed the car, and the rest of the pack followed.

Luigi, in the BMW Z4 GT3, also began the descent into the famous hairpin turn shortly after. The banking of the hairpin corner was such that there was reason to enter it at a slow speed. The trembling and shaking of the steering wheel, and the car, was proof that the banking was not to be taken lightly. If that wasn't enough, the force of gravity pulled his body slightly down in the bank's direction, while the feeling of inertia was all the same uncomfortable when turning left, as it pulled him in the direction opposite to where he was steering and where force of gravity was acting on.

_Ironically, this has to be the part of track where everyone enjoys,_ Luigi thought. _It's neat, and there are plenty of people camping near this place too._

**Eschbach: 2:46 PM**

At this point, the massive lineup of cars from the first grid bypassed the second massive campground where tents and campers, and not to mention spectator stands, were set up.

**Schwalbenschwanz: 2:48 PM**

As the grid began to enter the vicinity of the last large-scale campsite and section resembling Karussell before it, the grid cars swerved constantly left to right.

The section of track and corner was yet again another of the famous turns of the Nürburgring. The track on this corner was gentle and wide (in Luigi's opinion), and this made it ample to provide many overtaking opportunities when the twenty-four hour race would begin. The crux of the problem would lie in using the inside line (that is, the curb) while attempting to avoid a collision.

Yet the corner provided a very wide section of road, which was essential. Of course, Luigi had likely noticed that during qualifying.

Not even two minutes later, the turn was finished with the miniature Karussell. The grid, lined up in twos, did their best to stay in formation as they entered the other banked turn (unlike Karussell, this banked turn was not a hairpin).

**Döttinger Höhe: 2:52 PM**

The pace car began to make its way towards the final straight of the Nürburgring. Since there were eight minutes left, the car had to reduce its speed so that the cars would relatively cross the start and finish line by three o'clock.

In doing so, the cars behind starting from the Black Falcon SLS AMG GT3 on pole position, swerved left and right and left and right to maintain their speed.

BMW Team Schubert, with Luigi and Jörg Müller operating the wheel in their respective cars, followed the lead and did their best to avoid unnecessary collisions. For Luigi, it was a breathtaking yet tense view that the slow-moving grid would eventually yield an intense blaze of speed later. That being said, it made the situation tedious.

For the Bowser Motorsport Racing Bugatti, Bowser once or twice glanced ahead to keep an eye on the Team Schubert Z4s. However, this wasn't relevant to him at the moment for the grid had to keep swerving left and right. Forget BMW Team Schubert for now, and focus on taking care of car he was driving right now. Even though he had the incredibly-powered engine resting in the heart of his car, Bowser doubted that would prevent him from making any possible collisions.

As the cars drew nearer to Antoniusbuche, in spite of the incredibly slow speed they were going at, every driver could literally _feel_ the tension rising in their heads, and in their blood. Döttinger Höhe was the section of the Nürburgring most notable for being the longest straight road for the remainder of the loop.

**BMW Team Schubert: 2:55 PM**

(Mario's headset)

"It's almost time, everyone," Mario said through his headphones. "Mechanics and engineers are to remain on permanent standby like we practised."

Torque and the mechanics glanced once or twice at the clock and what was going on outside. There were only five minutes left, but these five minutes felt like the longest five minutes in their lives.

"_Mechanics standing by,_" Torque reported. "_Replacement parts, hoods, spoilers, and such are all accounted for. This will go great, and I know it._"

"_Our Schubert engineers and I have laptops, computers, and monitors all connected to the two BMW Z4 GT3s. Things should go flawlessly, and the car has just been fuelled up,_" Skolar reported. "_The weather forecast is updating to include rainfall in half an hour._"

"Wonderful…" Mario muttered, and turned his attention to the TV monitor. "It seems like my prediction for rain was right after all. It's a good thing we're using intermediate tyres."

* * *

><p>The three drivers of the number 18 car were also still outside looking for the grid to appear. As they were all in BMW Motorsport sports caps, it also gave them some power to glance outside. Also, it was their first time ever at the Nürburgring. How could they not miss it?<p>

**Nürburgring Broadcasting: 2:57 PM**

"It's almost three o'clock," the English broadcaster said. "All of the grids have left for their formation lap, and the third grid is quite a ways away. The first grid will be approaching the Tiergarten very quickly, and when the pace car splits off from the track at the Grand Prix, the race will begin!"

Broadcasting screens flashed in front of their eyes, and each of the English, French, and German broadcasters reported the essentials of what was going on in their own words. But all of them kept the same topic in mind: the start of the twenty-four hour race.

**Tiergarten: 2:58 PM**

The Volkswagen pace car, knowing how much time was left, maintained its steady pace as it brought the first grid through the last stretches and into the Hohenrain section. After bringing and leading the grid through Tiergarten, and now was in process on going through Hohenrain, the race was about to begin…

The pole position AMG Black Falcon SLS, Manthey Racing Porsches, a Lamborghini Gallardo, and multiple Audi R8 LMS Ultras, and of course BMW, made their way in.

**BMW Team Schubert: 2:59 PM**

Intensity, and nervousness, was what defined the moments in the garage of BMW Team Schubert. Indeed, Daisy, Rosalina, and Yoshi had to go outside to peek in the distance where they could see the Volkswagen Golf GTI leading the first grid towards the start line.

_This is it…_ everyone thought.

At this point, it was clear the Volkswagen was starting to angle right in the direction of the pit lane, and Daisy had just enough time to glance across the other side of the track where an ADAC official stood on the stand directly perpendicular to the start line, with a massive green flag in his hands.

* * *

><p><strong>The start of the race... happens in the next minute!<strong>


	38. 24 Hours Nürburgring: Lap 1

**To commemorate the REAL **Nürburgring **24-hour race which begins tomorrow (June 19th), I am uploading this chapter of the first lap!**

* * *

><p><em><span><strong>Chapter thirty-eight<strong>_

**Nürburgring Broadcasting: 3:00 PM**

"AND WE ARE RACING!" the English broadcaster yelled. "And it's the Black Falcon SLS who is currently leading the pack –"

**Nürburgring GP: 3:00 PM**

The green flag at the finish line began to wave constantly and excitedly as the spectators in the stands let out a roaring cheer for the racings. As soon as the Volkswagen Golf GTI leading the grid entered the pit lane, the true power that lay within these fierce-looking race machines had finally burst.

Engines roared.

The sounds echoed through the atmosphere, only to be drowned by the excitement and cheers of the crowds on the side.

Luigi, clad in a racing suit and a helmet providing safe but limited vision, floored the gas pedal and felt the power of the BMW Z4 GT3 increase its speed and power by the second. Already at three seconds, and he was doing over 100 km/h (62 mph).

Gear by gear changed rather quickly. He would have liked to overtake the cars at the first corner (descending into the near 180 chicane of YOKOHAMA/Castrol-S curve, where another two 180 degree turns met the racers). However, at the kind of speed he was going at, he would rather retain his position and control his speed rather than understeer and hit the Marc VDS Z4 in front. **Gears were changed by the use of a two plate-like buttons from behind the steering wheel's sides. Pulling the right-side button towards Luigi, thus pulling it with his right fingers, would increase to a higher gear. How Luigi would decrease a gear was to simply pull the left-side button toward him with his left fingers. The need for manual clutch is neglected because it was activated before the race started.**

He knew that if he did, neither Team Schubert nor Team Marc VDS would be pleased, and certainly not Michael and the rest of BMW Motorsport. The smooth turning of the car as it curved the YOKOHAMA/Castrol-S chicane smoothly enabled quick recovery and top speed, and the Z4 tried its best to overtake its fellow teammates ahead through the straight.

_Now all I have to do is maintain a draft_, Luigi thought.

Meanwhile, about ten seconds away, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport was doing its work with the Gadd Science-developed engine inside. While it proved itself to be fast, it just couldn't allow Bowser to avoid collisions, so Bowser had to control his speed.

Worse was the fact that he was dealing with skilled drivers with Nordschleife experience in the competition, such as the Team Phoenix Audis in front of him who did what they could to follow the shortest route.

Bowser, on the other hand, was _not_ following the shortest route and soon fell from his starting 17th place to 21st, where the AF Corse Ferrari overtook him. Some people on the stands even wondered just _how_ Bowser could manage to qualify in 17th place!

Later on, he got used to it and took the Bugatti around its maiden stretch on the Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit. With the insane power of the Gadd Science engine combined with typical Veyron power, it didn't take long for him to overtake the AF Corse Ferrari. However, as he was also getting technical, the Ferrari had an advantage with the turns, and quickly overtook Bowser's Bugatti.

But Bowser was totally reliant on the massive power of the Bugatti and did his best to take full advantage of the straights whenever possible. Quite simply, it was the only way for his car (and his team!) to gain ground, because the Bugatti failed when it came to trying the corners.

VMM! VMM! VMM!

To those who were standing still, whether on the sides, supervision, or benches, the sound of powerful engines supported by aerodynamics of the cars zipped past them. To first car they saw was, of course, the Black Falcon Mercedes on pole.

The power of Mercedes Benz in FIA GT3 suit was a smart sight to behold. With the benefit of being on pole, the entire Nürburgring was basically left to it for the first maiden lap. While the Farnbacher Ferrari F458, the Manthey Porsche 911, and the Phoenix Audi R8 LMS ultra were desperately trying to keep up with the pole Mercedes, the three cars supported by BMW Motorsport and the Lamborghini Gallardo FL II were quite farther behind.

**BMW Team Schubert: 3:02 PM**

After the momentous start, the members of Team Schubert went immediately to work. Engineers fired up their laptops and kept everything up-to-date on a minute-by-minute basis, ranging from conditions of the Z4s to weather forecasts.

The pit crew starting the first shift, but it was impossible to tell if they were relaxed or anxious. They had twenty-four hours, but they knew that success, and possible podium finishes, came down to cooperative teamwork between everyone on the team. If not counting the drivers, the pit crew was the only part of the team that had no room for error.

But the next pit stop wouldn't appear for at least half an hour or so, so they had reason to relax. The problem being that _anything_ could happen during a twenty-four hour race, so there was a very good reason to be anxious, even though Mario would be in sure charge of letting them know what to do.

And the BMW Z4 GT3 wasn't even in the pit yet!

(Mario's headset)

"_Weather update: we will be in for rain in two hours estimated_," Toadsworth reported. "_I'm just glad we bothered to use intermediate tyres before we started._"

"_You never know!_" Skolar responded instantly. "_The forecast also says the rain clouds might pass the Eifel in the next hour, so don't be too sure!_"

"_That's the point! Intermediate tyres will prove their versatility if the rain comes, and Luigi will still be able to make full use of his speed._"

Mario alone remained silent for less than a minute, quickly thinking of a plan of action in seconds and reconsidering it.

"We stick with the tyres and stay with the plan," he finally decided.

**Aremburg: 3:03 PM**

Although Luigi had passed through the sections Hatzenbach and the treacherous Flugplatz in the opening minutes of the race, he felt like he was experiencing tension like never before.

The main difference of the matter lay in the situation. Where Luigi had raced with other cars for lap times in qualifying, he was now racing for the overall win.

He drove the Z4 GT3 through the section of Aremburg, where the curve turned at a sharp right, and Luigi attempted to do his best to travel the shortest distance possible. That being driving on the curbs and staying off the grass.

He drove on the curb and, although he slowed for a second or two, he was gaining quick speed once again with the help of outstanding acceleration.

In the mirrors, Luigi could see dozens of GT cars trying their best to fight to the top. As Luigi had the advantage of starting from eighth, he needn't worry of trying to fight too hard for a podium finish. All he needed to do was to catch up to the GT3 Marc VDS BMW in front of him. As he planned many seconds earlier, he maintained his draft behind the BMW to increase his speed. (**to those who aren't race fans or have a basic understanding of physics: drafting is a technique where one car chases another from the back. As the first car encounters air resistance while driving, this prevents the car from achieving optimal speed and acceleration as well as losing energy to air friction. Conversely, this makes a 'slipstream' directly behind him/her in which there is no air resistance. The second car can travel in the slipstream and get a much better acceleration free from air resistance**).

However, it wasn't easy to avoid a collision, especially when there were going to be at least two hundred cars sharing the same circuit. For the time being, Luigi decided to make a competitive but steady pace to keep up with the Marc VDS Z4 in front of him.

The other Z4, with Jörg Müller currently at the wheel, was smoothly cruising its way to try to make the climb. Of course, the SLS AMG GT3 that had been on pole for the past minutes wasn't exactly making it easy for everyone in the pack either.

Furthermore, the Lamborghini in front of him proved to be formidable, but Luigi could tell he was getting the upper hand as he passed Fuchsröhre, when the BMW Z4 GT3 neared the corner Luigi quickly edged the turn so that the Z4 would travel on the curb, thus allowing to travel the shortest distance able.

"_Very good, Luigi,_" Mario said. "_The time between you and that Marc VDS BMW has been closed by just two-tenths of a second._"

But Luigi didn't bother listening too much, as he had to stay his focus on the track.

It didn't help that the severe trembling of the car and rising slopes were taking a slight toll on his body.

**Metzgesfeld: 3:03 PM**

But when Luigi approached the Metzgesfeld, he had near completely forgotten dangerous the turn could be when approaching at a high speed. Even this was indeed the BMW Z4 GT3, a car manufactured and packed with power from BMW Motorsport and entered by Schubert Motorsport, the turn would not agree. The curve was such that if any car kept going any faster, the car would slip off the track, lose control on the grass, and crash into the barrier.

Fortunately, looking through his helmet, Luigi had the early warning given to him by the BMW Marc VDS Z4 in front of him, and finally remembered how dangerous the turn could be. Fortunately, with effective gear control, Luigi was able to retain a good speed that was fast enough, but not enough to throw the car off the track. Also, the aerodynamic parts on the car proved to be useful, as the rear spoiler kept lots of the car stuck on the tarmac.

Looking at the mirror, Luigi saw the aggressive Corvette hounding down from behind and actually trying to cut onto the curb on his left to pass him.

He wasn't going to let that happen.

Pressing hard on the accelerator, Luigi cranked a higher gear up, to accelerate, and yet trying his best not to let the Z4 GT3 touch the grass.

Because if he did, he would lose control of the car and certainly crash into the steel barrier.

**BMW Team Schubert: 3:04 PM**

In the pit garage of BMW Team Schubert, everyone's eyes were glued to the TV screen on display where everyone could see; beside the race monitor showing which car was in their respective position and how many seconds separated each car. For BMW Team Schubert, the number 17 car was closing the gap between that and the Reiter Engineering Lamborghini by several hundredths of a second. The Marc VDS BMW was behind the number 17 car by about two seconds, with Luigi's number 18 car not far behind by one second.

Every pit member not on duty, that is, the race drivers, Stefan Wendl, and Michael Fong, simply stood watching. Mechanics including Torque and E. Gadd were on permanent standby and standing behind Michael in case if anything happened. The engineers were, by contrast, worriedly typing away at their laptops for weather updates. It didn't seem like there was going to be any rain for the next hour.

That was unfortunate for BMW Team Schubert, since they opted for both the number 17 and 18 car to use intermediate-grade tyre compounds, which were best used under wet conditions. Clearly, on a dry track, they weren't proving to be optimal, and the GT3 cars using dry-weather compounds were clearly were the quickest in the field.

"No!" Daisy gasped, with her jaw dropping.

On the screen, Daisy saw Luigi enter the Bergwerk section improperly and failed to keep up with the racing line. The Corvette behind took advantage of Luigi's slight error and charged from behind to attempt to overtake.

"Relax," Michael assured, although he himself was a little on edge from the BMW's slight failure following the racing line. "I could arguably say that the GT3 cars from BMW, Audi, Mercedes, or Porsche would be able to handle the kind of endurance the Nürburgring could bring. Besides, that Corvette doesn't have works support, so… Luigi should have a better chance."

**Bergwerk 3:05 PM**

_Darn it!_ Luigi thought as he saw the yellow Corvette pass him on his right as he made a terribly wide turn on the right curve. Maintaining control of his already fast speed, Luigi found himself driving on a straight, so he switched to a higher gear to try to keep up with the Corvette.

He also was aware of the corner Jörg Müller had warned him about earlier. The one where Niki Lauda had a horrific crash back in 1976. Carefully, Luigi remained on the current gear and steered as close as he could to the turn, whilst drafting the Corvette.

_BUMP_

The shock Luigi received on his left side, a literal split-second lift off the ground, came from driving right on the curb. It was part of the racing line, after all, so like all other drivers Luigi wouldn't lose a lot of speed to friction and centripetal force.

After that, Luigi floored the pedal and with his right hand **pushed the right-side plate-button toward him from behind the steering wheel's right-side to increase to another gear**. He felt the net force push him forward and the opposite reaction force rebound. Nevertheless, he remained focused and rammed the throttle down… hard.

More power. More force. More acceleration.

Luigi stepped off the gas pedal with his right foot for a split second, reached two of his right-hand fingers from the wheel to the trigger on the steering wheel's right-side and pressed the right-side double button towards him to blast to another gear, while hearing the sounds of a changing racing plates and the gearbox increasing power to the BMW M3 engine in the car.

Only what was ahead was, from Luigi's eyes, green and pavement. Although at constant velocity, he could see things clearly from the trees to the narrow road ahead. But his focus was on the Corvette in front. So everything around felt like, or appeared as, a blur.

The increasing power, combined with the bonus of a slipstream, meant that Luigi could increase his speed and raise the likelihood of overtaking the Corvette.

GT3 power…

Luigi found himself overtaking the Corvette by Corvette Racing shortly after taking the outside curve in the Kesselchen.

The BMW Z4 GT3 by BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS seemed so far away…

**BMW Team Schubert: 3:05**

_He'd done it!_ Daisy thought hopefully, as she watched the televised view of the race. Right beside the TV monitor, and well on a high position on the wall, was a live timing monitor that showed the rank positions of all cars in the race, and specifically the team names, number of laps completed, the time gap separating the cars with the leader, the time of the last lap completed, and the class of the car.

From Daisy's view, with Rosalina, Yoshi, Stefan Wendl, and Michael Fong by her side, the number 18 car had overtaken the Corvette and had risen back to 6th place.

**Place Number Team Laps Gap Last Class**

1 3 Black Falcon 0 N/A N/A SP9 GT3

2 89 Hankook Team Farnbacher 0 0:09.8 N/A SP9 GT3

3 40 Manthey Racing 0 0:12.0 N/A SP9 GT3

4 1 Audi Sport Team Phoenix 0 0:12.9 N/A SP9 GT3

5 12 Reiter Engineering 0 0:15.5 N/A SP9 GT3

6 17 BMW Team Schubert 0 0:16.0 N/A SP9 GT3

7 2 BMW Sports Trophy Marc VDS 0 0:17.2 N/A SP9 GT3

8 18 BMW Team Schubert 0 0:21.8 N/A SP9 GT3

9 99 Corvette Racing 0 0:22.0 N/A SP9 GT3

10 204 Audi Sport Team Phoenix 0 0:24.6 N/A SP9 GT3

But following the rankings was the unmistakable presence of the team 'Bowser Motorsport Racing' picking up the rankings very quickly, but it was sort of annoying to see that the gap times fluctuated from gaps in tenths of a second to entire seconds every so often.

Torque shook his head. He knew enough about racing, and the layout of the Nürburgring enough times, to know that Bowser's Bugatti Veyron simply wasn't built for the demanding corners of the circuit, and certainly not against GT3 cars.

They kept watching, while the engineers including Skolar and Toadsworth were swiping furiously on the laptops and checking on weather updates, while others were watching closely at the conditions of the BMW Z4 GT3s by Schubert.

For the time being, action could wait.

**Carraciola-Karussell: 3:05 PM**

The grinding of the car against the bank was audible from Luigi's seat. At least ten more cars were visible from the side mirrors, but that wasn't important now. The hairpin turn dipped down and the GT3 cars followed the track through the 180 degree turn.

As much as Luigi wanted to think, he couldn't. Not when there where a dozen more GT3 cars were following behind, and not when he needed to look ahead to see where he was going.

He could see a helicopter moving through the sky like an eagle eyeing its prey from above, just as he exited the banked hairpin. Luigi released the throttle, triggered the right-side button behind the wheel to increase to another gear, and pursued the Marc VDS BMW once more. The Corvette was hot on his heels: just 0.4 seconds behind.

Still, he could still shake them off…

"_Hey, Luigi,_" Mario's voice sounded through the earphones in Luigi's ears. "_Just to let you know, at the rate you guys in the GT3 grid are driving, you're going to catch up with the cars from the third racing grid. Try not to damage the car, okay?_"

Luigi swerved the car very carefully through the Hohe Acht section, where the track curved a declining right. It was a fast move, but Luigi had no problem with the turn. He owed this move to his skills in the Mario Kart races.

The roaring of the BMW M3 engine told Luigi he was making good progress. Even so, he could feel the butterflies in his stomach as he descended through Hedwigshöhe, where the S-curve declined downward and forced Luigi to slow down drastically, along with the rest of the cars behind.

**Pflanzgarten: 3:07 PM**

The Black Falcon Mercedes SLS stormed through the ever-narrow road of the Nürburgring. The thing about the Nürburgring was that the entire circuit spanned frequent elevation changes. Where the Black Falcon SLS had just drove downhill earlier at Hohe Acht and Hedwigshöhe, the GT3 car was dipping down and up again in a single stretch of road. The Ferrari F458 Italia was a ways away: over 12 seconds behind!

"_The Black Falcon Mercedes is passing through the Pflanzgarten now_," the German broadcaster said from the broadcasting office.

"_Where are the rest?!_" the other German broadcaster said.

"_There they are! I can't believe it! That Black Falcon Mercedes SLS is certainly spearing the field!_" the first broadcaster exclaimed.

Nine seconds later, a hoard of cars, led by the Hankook Team Farnbacher Ferrari and Manthey Porsche, appeared in the Pflanzgarten, where they quickly and carefully maneuvered through the dipping stretch of road and trying really hard not to crash, let alone touching the grass on the road.

The three BMWs, the first with Jörg Müller in it, the second being the Marc VDS, and finally the third with Luigi in it, drove to catch up with the cars in front. From the spectators view, it appeared every car was desperate. Then again, who wasn't?

It was tension that Luigi never felt before.

As Luigi could only see through the gap in the helmet and the visor at such a high speed, the effort was probably going to be hard. At least he had practice and qualifying to get used to the sight, and he had the reflex of karting skills to help him.

The BMW squirmed through the bobbing section and eventually began its entry into Schwalbenschwanz. To Luigi, he liked this section of track very much. It was long, smooth, and arguably gentle. There was a little 'Karussell' in the section that reminded Luigi of the actual Karussell, which made the section all the more fun to drive.

The racing field, starting with the Black Falcon SLS and followed by Audis, a Ferrari, and BMWs, began to enter the angled hairpin turn and began their entry into Galgenkopf.

**BMW Team Schubert: 3:08 PM**

In Daisy's _strict_ opinion, and it wouldn't be any surprise if others agreed, Galgenkopf was one of the most dangerous sections on the Nürburgring. It was narrow, and at the speed the GT3 cars were going at it was incredibly dangerous to enter the inclined right curve at the end of the road – right after the cars had finished with Schwalbenschwanz. The curve turned right, and it was a blind corner. If a car entered Galgenkopf too quickly, it wouldn't have enough time to slow down and enter the curve. It would slide into the grass, lose grip and control, and would effectively crash into the unforgiving barrier.

"This is crazy," Daisy muttered.

She turned her attention to watch another screen monitor. This monitor was in fact televising the third starting grid at the end of the Döttinger Höhe straight. They were still being led by a pace car, and they haven't starting racing yet!

She walked over to a table in the team garage and picked up a pair of headphones.

(Daisy's headset)

"Luigi," she said. "Just to let you know, the third grid hasn't crossed the start line yet, let alone the pace car. You might want to be careful when you're near the Grand Prix circuit."

"_Okay_," Luigi shortly replied.

Daisy still kept her headphones on and watched Skolar and Toadsworth typing away at their laptops. Skolar in particular looked anxious already.

"_Luigi_," Skolar said. "_The track is still very wet, so you and Jörg might have a bit of an edge when you get to the straight after Galgenkopf. Take advantage of the others who opted for harder compounds. Still, you better be careful when you're right behind the third grid._"

"_Okay, thanks,_" Luigi replied, and also in a short tone.

Daisy took the headphones off her head and placed it back on the table. Afterwards, she rejoined Rosalina and Yoshi, who were sitting around waiting and watching. But as she thought of it, Daisy was a little bored, so she walked outside of the garage to see the start line.

Meanwhile, Rosalina and Yoshi, currently dressed in their BMW factory racing suits, continued to watch the broadcast of the number 17 and 18 cars chasing the field at Döttinger Höhe. The cars were driving at a high seed, yes, and everyone watching the broadcast could see water splashing against the car tyres and lightly spraying the grass beside.

"It looks like they're going to overtake someone," Boshi remarked. "Maybe they will!"

**Nürburgring Broadcasting: 3:08 PM**

"_The BMW Team Schubert cars seemed to have made the right decision to start on intermediate tyres_," the German broadcasting reported in German (or Deutsche, as it's properly called), "_Schubert is clearly climbing up the field now! They've just overtaken a car apiece!_"

"The Bugatti Veyron entered by Bowser Motorsport Racing will have its chance to use its full power here at Döttinger Höhe," the English broadcaster said. "However, it seems that Bowser's option was to retain use of hard compounds. That won't help too much on this wet track, but I guess we'll see how the race turns out!"

The six broadcasters, two German, two British, and two French, were still sitting inside the office where real-time monitors, desks, papers, and race reports filled up every part of the office.

"_Let's see how much power that Veyron has got_," the French commentator said.

**Antoniusbuche: 3:09 PM**

Now that the two BMW Z4 GT3s by Schubert had each climbed up a place, Luigi was feeling confident that the car would be able make it into a top position. Yet, he was aware of the fact that it was a 24-hour race.

He began to realise the mountain he had to climb.

In his side mirror, on his left, he noticed the red-and-black Bugatti Veyron trying heroically to climb its way up the field. Despite that it was one of the fastest cars on earth (so far!), the GT3 cars appeared to be at equal level with the car or at least beating it.

Still, the Audis and Porsches had no problem defeating the Veyron, even on a straight, which was why the engine inside the Bugatti Veryon Super Sport had a very long turbo lag.

_Aha! There's the turbo at last!_ Bowser thought.

A burst of power propelled the Bugatti Veryon to an immense speed that saw him almost overtaking the car in front of him (the AF Corse Ferrari). However, he ran out of straight road to take advantage of that.

_At least I've closed the gap_, Bowser thought.

The cars in front of him entered Tiergarten and readied to complete their first lap.

Luigi took his eyes off the road for the briefest moment to look at the speedometer in front of him, and watched the current gear maintained at 6th gear. As Döttinger Höhe was a very long straight, this gave Luigi plenty of time to get to full speed. By the time he approached Hohenrain, he knew that he had to slow down a lot.

Nevertheless, Luigi, and Jörg Müller, had the advantage of intermediate tyres to quickly claw their way up the field. Now, they were running in 8th and 5th, respectively.

The Black Falcon SLS, however, was still tearing up the field!

**Hohenrain: 3:09 PM**

The GT3 cars had to slow down a lot to pass by the dangerous chicane at Hohenrain, to gears around 2nd or 3rd gear, and safely pass into the Grand Prix circuit.

_Argh! The third grid!_ Luigi thought.

As he had been forewarned, he saw the dozens of lower class racing cars begin their race. BMW M235i Racings, Volkswagen Golfs, Honda S2000s, Renault Clios, and many more cars crowded the race track ahead. Classes like SP10 GT4, SP3, SP3T, V3, V4, and V5 were present and the cars had only started to accelerate.

The first move the Black Falcon SLS AMG GT3 did was flash its high beams to warn the third grid it was incoming. Most cars from the third grid pulled aside to let the GT3 cars pass. Those that didn't pull over… would risk a collision.

**BMW Team Schubert: 3:09 PM**

"There's a good lap for a first one," a BMW Motorsport engineer reported.

"He's starting to find a rhythm. That's good," another engineer said.

(A BMW Motorsport engineer's headset)

"I should probably warn everyone that we're in for a rain shower again in two minutes," the engineer said. "It'll be light, but there's no telling what happens in the Eifel, anyway."

"That's not what I've got," a second engineer said. "My forecast says the rain might pass by in five minutes. But you're right in saying the Eifel is unpredictable."

"_So who is right?_" Luigi asked.

"We'll see," the first engineer said.

* * *

><p><strong>There you have it! The first lap!<strong>


	39. Illegal Engine

**Thanks to inspiring reviewers, I pressed on to write this next chapter! Hope you like it!**

* * *

><p><em><span><strong>Chapter thirty-nine<strong>_

**Nürburgring GP YOKOHAMA/Castrol-S curve: 3:09 PM**

It had been seconds since crossing the start line that Bowser, in his Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport, was now entering the YOKAHAMA/Castrol-S curve. Due to the superb racing-spec brakes engineered by his team, and the rear spoiler, the car slowed down instantly.

Bowser had to admit that the car tuned by his team was as good as promised.

_Lots of rain over here_, he thought.

The roaring engine of the Veyron – or rather, the engine he had stolen – propelled the car to catch up with the Phoenix Audis in front of him. However, because of the massive turbo-lag of the engine, Bowser didn't have advantages in the corners, despite driving the Veyron. It didn't help that he was using dry-weather compounds either.

Worse yet, there were tens of slower cars in the way! At the speed they were going at, it was a wonder how the GT field didn't cause any collisions.

(Bowser's headset)

"_I think it would be best to exchange tyres after this lap, Bowser,_" King Boo said. "_It's going to be rough for you, and the team, if you collide with another car and end up in a fiery crash._"

The Audi R8 LMS ultra in front of Bowser drove naturally at a high speed, and this sprayed Bowser's face with water.

It was fortunate that the Bugatti had a windshield for a reason. But in spite of the powerful turbocharged engine behind him, the car was running quite slowly on the wet track. No doubt about it, the car needed a tyre change.

"After this lap, we are making an emergency pit stop," Bowser finally said.

The Veyron charged forward around the YOKOHAMA/Castrol-S section, squirming through the double 180 degree chicane. Because of the declining angle it was at, it wasn't easy trying _not_ to collide with the Phoenix Audis ahead.

Bowser stamped on the clutch, pulled the gear stick down, and listened to the sound of the turbochargers flaring the engine to life.

He hated the turbo lag, though. It was probably the worst part of the car, if anything.

Entering the Mullenbach section, Bowser drove through the angled turns and into the iconic 180-degree curve of the Mullenbach, although unlike the Karussell it was on flat ground. The Michael Schumacher-S chicane followed, as Bowser grinded the throttle onto the floor. It seemed like magic that the car stuck to the ground as he zipped through the chicane. Still, it wasn't enough as the racing cars around him specialized in the turns.

That didn't mean his Veyron would be at equal level with – let's say – a Volkswagen Golf!

The weather above his head seemed very, very, gray. The sunlight was desperately trying to break through the gray clouds, but it didn't work. In short, the day was overcast, and that didn't help try to dry off the wet track.

Looking only ahead and not behind, Bowser drove through 'Bend no. 12' – strong angled turn of the Grand Prix circuit that lead to the back straight – and increased the power of the Veyron through the straight.

In less than ten seconds, the GT field led by the Black Falcon Mercedes was clawing through the Grand Prix track first through the ADVAN arch – the fastest corner of the back straight – and into the extremely sharp NGK chicane, where the circuit split from the Grand Prix onto the Nordschleife.

**Hatzenbach: 3:11 PM**

After the exit from the Grand Prix's NGK chicane, the road faded into an unforgivable loss of elevation. The turbo-lag, however, was not serving Bowser anything good. It was nightmarish, and more than once it cost Bowser lots of time.

"We need to modify this engine at once," he said to King Boo via headset. "It's a powerful engine, yes, but it's going to be our downfall."

"_I'm glad you said that,_" Kind Boo replied. "_We're getting a late urgent report from the ADAC that our car failed the pre-race inspection and it's mostly due to the engine. You have to pit in so we can exchange the engine we have with one from Bugatti. Otherwise, we're going to get kicked from the race, and we're going to lose a lot of time._"

"I'm sorry?" Bowser said, annoyed. "What's wrong with our engine, anyway?"

"_The ADAC inspectors ruled that our engine isn't matching Bugatti's specification and must be replaced,_" King Boo answered. "_Never mind the ruling. What we need you to do is bring the car in so we can replace the engine. Bugatti is sending us a ready-to-customize engine as we speak._"

"GOOD!" Bowser roared. "The turbo-lag in this engine is horrible! I don't know why we're using this engine in the first place, but whoever thought of getting this engine was an idiot."

Bowser had completely forgotten it was his son who suggested the engine in the first place.

"_And yet SOMEHOW we qualified 17__th__ on the grid with this engine against veterans and factory teams_," King Boo muttered. "_The engine isn't important until you get back into the garage .What is important, however, is getting the car in. Don't wreck the car!_"

This forced Bowser to waste all his concentration and pace pushing ahead, but this concentration was partly disturbed by another thought the Koopa King had.

"Do you have the engine from Bugatti now?" he asked.

"_No. Not yet. But we've already sent an immediate order to Volkswagen to build us one. If time is with us from the time we sent the order, it should be here within eight minutes_," King Boo replied.

"EIGHT MINUTES?!" Bowser roared. "That's… outrageous!"

"_It's better than the alternative, which is disqualification_," King Boo said.

**Nürburgring Broadcasting: 3:12 PM**

The French broadcaster was quite surprised saying, "_The Bugatti Veyron by Bowser Motorsport Racing is tearing up the field now and is at Flugplatz already! But wait, we're receiving a report that the Bugatti Veyron has failed the pre-race inspection because of their engine. They are going to have to replace the engine they have now for reasons unknown._"

The broadcasters watched wide-eyed at two of their many television screens. Two of the helicopters with cameras were busy following the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport, which was running at a speed over 300 km/h (186 mph).

"_I think he's trying to make a run for the garage_," the broadcaster added.

"_That would be my guess_," the other French broadcaster said.

**Flugplatz: 3:12 PM**

Luigi was very surprised at the speed the Bugatti Veryon was dangerously travelling at. He saw the car over take car after car after car. He had no doubt it would be flattening the SLS AMG GT3 by Black Falcon at this point.

(Luigi's headset)

"What's going on?" he said as he felt the car become airborne for a second and landed in the next. "Bowser isn't making sense of how endurance racing works, I think."

"_The broadcasters tell us that his team failed the pre-race inspection_," Mario told Luigi. "_He looks desperate, but he's building up a considerable lead over everyone! The Black Falcon Mercedes is the only car that seems to have a grip on things._"

He continued to step on the throttle, hearing the automatic clutch, pulling the right-side plate button toward him, and rose to a higher gear to keep up with the Marc VDS BMW in front.

"_He's overtaken Black Falcon's Mercedes!_" Mario said, surprised. "_Reports are saying that he has to replace the engine in that car or else he'll be disqualified. He's probably trying to get it replaced now._"

"I'm not surprised," Luigi kept his eyes on the road far ahead. "If it weren't for that suspected engine he maybe would be going slower than usual. He's wasting his pace!"

An instant transition into Schwendenkreuz told Luigi he wasn't cautious and fast enough. With the yellow Corvette C7 edging dangerously behind, Luigi tried his best to follow the Marc VDS BMW.

**Aremberg: 3:12 PM**

Were it not for the traffic ahead of him, Bowser could have been going a lot faster. The most important thing was that he had overtaken the Black Falcon Mercedes and that he was making good progress through the Nordschleife. If all went well, he would bring the Bugatti Veyron safely into the team garage undamaged.

Bowser released his right foot, stepped on the clutch with the left, pulled the gear stick, stepped down on the throttle with his right foot again, and heard the sound of an immense turbocharged engine increasing the speed of the Bugatti.

However, as Bowser all too aware, the turbo-lag of the engine was horrible. Sure, the engine had its best use at straights such as Döttinger-Höhe, but apart from that it was pretty much useless for the extent of the Nürburgring.

(Bowser's headset)

"Why we couldn't have exchanged this engine in the first place, I wonder," Bowser groaned.

"_We had the change during free practice and qualifying_," King Boo said. "_Don't know why we didn't take it._"

He was building a huge lead over the Black Falcon Mercedes (which was far behind), but Bowser was going to need a lot of time to get an engine like this one replaced.

The Veyron tore through Fuchsröhre, essentially going straight. Because of the inclined chicane in front Bowser was forced to step hard on the brakes to avoid grinding the car's front bumper into the tarmac.

Bowser basically had a clear field ahead of him. Save for the BMW M3s, Audi TTs, and even several Mazda RX-8s in front from the lower SP classes. Come to think of it, the V2 to V4 classes seemed to be a better fit.

Adenauer Forst was approached with daring speed from the Veyron. Thanks to the intense downforce of the car, the Veyron handled the famous section relatively easily. Most importantly to Bowser, however, was to not lose the turbo. Otherwise, he would have to wait again for a huge turbo lag, and that was the last thing he wanted. It was fortunate that there was a little bit of straight road between Adenauer Forst and Metzgesfeld.

**Metzgesfeld: 3:13 PM**

Because Metzgesfeld was dangerous if driven too quickly, Bowser forced himself to reduce at least one gear. But he didn't want to risk losing turbo power either.

"_Don't wreck the car!_" King Boo warned.

The Bugatti Veyron slid onto the grass.

"Argh!" Bowser roared.

Half the car was touching the grass and, if not for a quick reaction by Bowser to hit the brakes, the Veyron would be smashing into the unforgiving steel barrier across the span of grass. The car remained straight until it slowed to a reasonable speed, as Bowser turned the car left for best control. The decrescendo of another gear dropping was another bad sign.

This cost time.

"You still have a ten second lead over Black Falcon," Kamek, the team engineer, said. "Use the lead well! Get the car here as quickly as you can."

**Kallenhard: 3:14 PM**

(Luigi's headset)

"How far is the Bugatti Veyron ahead of me?" Luigi asked.

To his delight, he heard Daisy answer for him.

"_He's got around 32 seconds ahead of you, but mainly because of the speed he's going at_," Daisy answered. "_He's also 26 seconds ahead of Jörg, but I doubt he'll have that lead for long._"

"Thanks, Daisy," Luigi said.

The Schubert BMW continued to follow the Marc VDS BMW ahead. However, the distance between the cars was a rough 5 seconds. That was a _lot_ of space to cover. But to make up for that, the Corvette was a few seconds behind him.

The Nürburgring circuit began to face a change in elevation when the racing field began to enter Kallenhard. Kallenhard was a wide right curve that featured a declining slope on the way through – contrary to Fuchsröhre's inclined chicane. The BMW Z4 GT3 followed the field through the section at a relatively slow speed – though it was still going pretty fast.

**Ex-Mülhe: 3:14 PM**

Before long, Bowser had passed through the tourist spot where racing fans and more were gluing their eyes to the fenced barrier – and watching the cars drive by. On the other hand, those who were not gluing their eyes to the fence were either busy setting up the camps or preparing meals.

Much to the spectators' surprise, it had taken over 10 seconds before the Black Falcon Mercedes SLS appeared, with the Hankook Farnbacher Ferrari, the Manthey Porsche, Phoenix Audi, Reiter Lamborghini, and the BMW teams not far behind.

Bowser was still frustrated over the turbo-lag he was receiving from the engine. Although it was powerful, he concluded it was still unreliable when it came to powering an automobile. At least the turbo-lag had its use when it came to maneuvering the next two corners before Bergwerk. He just needed to wait for a turbo buildup before the next burst of power.

_Here comes the turbo…_ Bowser thought, and then he looked to his side mirror. _What?!_

The Black Falcon Mercedes, dressed in the colours of black, white, and yellow, appeared in the mirror's distance. Bowser figured that if the turbo didn't come soon, the SLS AMG GT3 behind him would catch up in no time even though he still had over fifteen seconds of lead.

_If only it weren't for this turbo – ah, here it is!_

**Bergwerk: 3:15 PM**

A burst of much-needed power propelled the Bugatti Veyron forward and allowed Bowser to widen the gap between him and the Mercedes from behind. Fortunately, because much of the space between Berkwerk and the next chicane was a gentle straight, the engine was able to make most of its uses in this section.

_Easy_, he thought.

Kesselchen and Klostertal were bypassed in a matter of seconds. The Bugatti Veyron was simply too fast.

The turbo-lag was still unbearable, nevertheless, and it made the Veyron overall very difficult to control. Bowser could not help but notice the Black Falcon Mercedes SLS from behind, even if the SLS was very far behind. Forget the BMWs! If the Mercedes was in sight, then so would the rest of the racing field! Wow, those cars were fast. It was chaotic.

**Steilstrecke: 3:15 PM**

_No!_ Bowser thought.

Steilstrecke featured the sharp right turn, which forced Bowser to pull the gear stick back to second gear and, hence, caused a massive reduction in speed. Worse yet, Bowser recognised by the sharp turn that the Karussell was not far behind either.

He drove the Bugatti forward, but without the benefit of turbo the car was running too slow for a racing car. Bowser floored the throttle, but it was doing no good. The turbo-lag was costing him time. He also heard the sound of an engine behind his head desperately trying to activate its turbochargers.

"_You still have that 10 second lead over the field. You should be good_," King Boo said.

It was painful to watch, but Bowser kept his foot flat on the throttle as the Bugatti slowly drove around the Karussell. The rumbling of tyres on the famous banked turn could be heard as the turbocharger continued to build up power. He had to be quick. He had to!

**Nürburgring Broadcasting: 3:17 PM**

"You are listening to Radio Le Mans," the English broadcaster reported from the broadcasting station. "For those of you just watching, the Bowser Motorsport Racing team has run into engine issues and is ordered by the ADAC right now to have their engine replaced. The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport they have entered is currently leading the field, though I don't know for how much long."

"That car is going past the Pflanzgarten now," the other English broadcaster said. "If any car looked desperate to get to their garage, it'd be that one."

"And see how fast that Veyron is going!" the first broadcaster remarked. "It would either be because Bugatti makes such fast cars – courtesy of Volkswagen – or perhaps it's because of that engine they have in there."

**Pflanzgarten: 3:18 PM**

(Luigi's headset)

"You're telling me that Bowser is at Döttinger-Höhe already," Luigi stated as he followed the field through the track. However, the gap between him and the Marc VDS BMW had widened, and the Corvette that had been previously chasing him was replaced by an Audi R8 LMS ultra.

"_Yeah_," Skolar said. "_He's in a rush, I'll say that. From the cameras, though, he's having a really slow start with that engine. Is it because the Veyron's turbos are too powerful?_"

"I think Torque would know better," Luigi quietly said.

The steering wheel of the BMW Z4 GT3 (which, technically, didn't look like a wheel at all – more like a controller with a whole lot of complex devices, monitors, and the double button) shook in Luigi's hands as always. Even when driving past the smooth diving and rising valleys of Pflanzgarten, it wasn't always pleasant to have a rumbling device in his hands at such a high speed. Like many times before, a change in elevation saw Luigi feel he was driving downward, and he was.

Through the gap in that helmet of his, Luigi looked far ahead to the farthest curb and aimed to drive there. Incidentally, as he drove to the end of the section, the end part was Schwalbenschwanz. Driving through the tail-shaped section and around the 'little Karussell', the BMW Z4 GT3 was on its way to Galgenkopf and finally to Döttinger Höhe at last.

**Bowser Motorsport Racing: 3:19 PM**

A Volkswagen delivery team had arrived at the Bowser Motorsport Racing garage with a fresh Bugatti engine. With less than a precious minute before the Bugatti Veyron arrived (Kamek and Mr. L had told them this as they read from their monitors), Grodus immediately began to modify the 8.0L W16 engine they were given. As if the four turbochargers already equipped weren't enough! In addition, the Veyron's W16 engine produced 736 kW (987 bhp) of output. That is a LOT of power! What was Grodus going to do? He was going to customize the engine with what he and Captain Syrup had and finish with a racing engine with a projected 746 kW (1001 bhp!).

"Time for work," he said.

"Leave _that_ work to me," Captain Syrup pushed Grodus aside, which forced him to topple over.

"No fooling around, people," King Boo coldly said. "Time is not on our side. Get that engine modified to specifications listed by Mr. L and Kamek, or its game over."

Captain Syrup reluctantly, but hastily, pulled Grodus up and the two began to collaborate how to deal with the engine. The first step, as Grodus had already done, was to take apart the engine's outer parts (with this staff) so they could modify the inside. The second step was working together with wrenches of all sizes, bolts, micrometers, and virtually every tool imaginable. More fuel injection! More intake (inlet) manifold! If the intake (inlet) manifold by Bugatti was powerful enough, Grodus and Captain Syrup made it better. Now, a lot more air could be fed to the sixteen cylinders in the engine…

And, of course, the transmission had to be modified by the mechanics and reviewed by the engineers so the Veyron could accommodate race-spec engine.

"Oh, and see if you could reduce the turbo-lag," Mr. L added.

"We're trying, but I have to say it's as smooth as its going to get," Grodus replied.

**Bowser Motorsport Racing: 3:20 PM**

The shrilling of alarms near the pit garage allowed reporters and cameramen to fix their eyes on the incoming car.

"Okay, he's here!" King Boo shouted.

"No! We're not done!" Captain Syrup protested, as she and the other head mechanic (Grodus) were still guiding the team of mechanics to increase the power and efficiency of the W16 engine to Kamek and Mr. L's specification. The intake (inlet) manifold had just been upgraded but had not been installed into the W16 engine itself.

In addition, Captain Syrup directed a team of mechanics to replace the engine's exhaust and intake valves – which are essential for powering an engine's pistons through increasing combustion pressure and air/fuel intake, and in effect causes the engine to run – with much, much, lighter valves to increase the power output of the car. Sadly, Captain Syrup didn't know if they would be able to get the job done fast enough.

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport, driving at the pit lane speed limit, drove slowly in 1st gear and – to the mechanics' dismay – pulled over to the pit lane. Time was certainly playing with the Bowser Motorsport Racing team.

(King Boo's headset)

"Turn off the engine, Bowser. It's time to bring the car in," he ordered.

Grumbling could be heard from Bowser, which King Boo supposed was a negative response.

"_At least we'll be able to eliminate that terrible turbo-lag!_" Bowser grinned.

The driver reached for the ignition button, pressed it, and turned the engine off.

After that, a Hammer Bro took the door handle of the Veyron, opened it, and gestured Bowser to leave the vehicle. Bowser was already one step ahead as he had unfastened his seatbelts and stepped out of the car.

"Hurry up! Get the car into the garage!" King Boo ordered.

A Goomba quickly without hesitation accurately kicked the air pump into the hole on the Veyron's side. Pneumatic air jacks popped out from the car's bottom and the car rose at least a foot into the air. As photographers and cameramen followed the car, the team of Hammer Bros and Shy Guys started pushing the car into the open garage. Even Bowser had to lend a hand (he had to, or it would only have slowed the process!), and besides, he was probably the strongest in the team's midst.

**Bowser Motorsport Racing: 3:22 PM**

An ADAC official and an ADAC reporter were there to watch the process of engine overhaul.

It was then King Boo heard the crescendo of approaching engines.

"Oh, here they come," King Boo muttered.

The team members of Bowser Motorsport Racing did not stop their efforts moving the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport into the garage, but they turned their heads back to see the racing field rush past the start/finish straight. Black Falcon first, Hankook Farnbacher second, etcetera, etcetera…

The shrilling of other alarms nearby alerted the Bowser Motorsport Racing crew that other racing cars were pitting in as well. Well, at least that didn't make their car outstanding from the others. It had to be pitted in for what was basically an engine overhaul!

An Audi TT, an Aston Martin V8 Vantage, and a Subaru BRZ were among the cars that were pulling into the pit lane.

"Hurry, hurry! Finish the engine!" King Boo ordered.

In the little time that had passed, Captain Syrup, with a team of mechanics, had dismantled the engine, carefully disconnected the engine from the fuel tank and transmission. Meanwhile, Grodus was overseeing the rebuild and customisation of the W16 engine they were given. The mechanics were doing their part in upgrading the engine, where Captain Syrup began personally installing the engine valves one by one. Grodus, on the other hand, was developing faster turbines on the turbochargers so air intake would be faster and therefore would reduce turbo-lag.

_Installing upgraded turbines…_ Grodus thought as he delicately replaced the current turbocharger on the W16 engine with one of the upgraded turbochargers. The mechanics team would handle building the other ones.

The work was being done on a massive table, which supported the entire W16 engine, in a room directly beside the garage. The engine was being held by an engine crane which would eventually lower into the car and become installed.

"Ignore the race for now. Just focus!" King Boo encouraged.

Indeed, the Bowser Motorsport Racing mechanics and engineers were hard at work. All eyes were away from the Veyron or the monitors and focused on the W16 engine in front of them, with Grodus and Captain Syrup installing their respective components with help from the other mechanics.

**Nürburgring GP/ADVAN arch: 3:23 PM**

In the time it took Bowser to drive in to the pit garage and get his Veyron's engine replaced, the number 18 BMW Z4 GT3 was chasing the sister number 17 BMW Z4, as the Marc VDS BMW had overtaken the latter and was running in P6. One minute had passed since crossing the start line, and Luigi had covered almost all of the Grand Prix circuit.

Personally, Luigi thought the BMW Z4's engine sounded distinctly like a jet, even though it was naturally aspirated!

**Bowser Motorsport Racing: 3:25 PM**

"Okay, okay! Get that engine in!" Grodus demanded.

The previous engine, manufactured by Gadd Science, had been removed under the supervision of the ADAC and now very cautiously replaced with the newly-developed W16 engine from Bugatti, and tuned by the Bowser Motorsport Racing engineers and mechanics.

"This thing's got enough power to tackle this race," Mr. L commented. "It roughly fits our specification, so it should be able to survive. The turbo-lag shouldn't be as bad as last time."

Bowser watched his team push the crane toward the back of the Veyron as efficiently as they could and began to install the W16 engine with upgraded turbines and lightweight valves into the back of the car.

Time was of the essence, and if the team were to take any longer than three minutes, they would almost surely be lapped by the GT3 field.

"It's not over yet! It's only just started!" Kamek cheered.

"The engine has been installed!" one of the mechanics reported. "Okay! We're good!"

Bowser Jr., Wario, and Waluigi watched the entire scene, but they were more concerned about time. Anxiously, they kept watching the clock from time to time.

**Bowser Motorsport Racing: 3:26 PM**

Outside the garage, the ADAC officials checked to make sure the car was legal and safe to drive. As they were doing this, Bowser put on his race helmet, HANS device, and got into the cockpit of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport. A Shy Guy helped Bowser with the seatbelt and HANS device while Bowser did his part of the seatbelt.

"Are we ready?" he said.

"Almost," the Shy Guy replied.

The ADAC official went on inspecting the engine, hopefully not for long, as the Goomba detached the air pump from the Veyron's side. The jacks recoiled into the Veyron, lowering the car and its wheels to the ground, and Bowser laid his hand on the ignition button.

The ADAC official gave Bowser the thumbs-up and turned his attention to the people who were watching, and blew a whistle for them to clear the way.

_Perfect_, Bowser thought. He held his hand on the ignition button, hearing the sound of the engine being ignited by the spark plug. The sound happened flawlessly as the engine roared into life.

He turned the wheel left and maintained his speed in 1st gear, and he stayed in this gear until he reached the end of the pit lane, where he could throttle flat on out. The sound of even more powerful turbochargers, and much, MUCH, more responsive engine, surrounded Bowser.

"This car handles like a dream! We've got this!" Bowser happily said. "You sure know how to build your things, guys!" Bowser rejoined the field in 39th place after eight minutes of engine overhaul (that's fast!). For the team, everyone could finally breathe a sigh of relief after all that tedious work.

**Nürburgring Broadcasting: 3:28 PM**

"Vous écoutez la Radio du Mans…" the French broadcaster said.

"You're listening to Radio Le Mans," the English broadcaster said. "The Bugatti Veyron entered by Bowser Motorsport Racing has returned to the field after an eight minute engine overall. Incredibly, the car had a two minute lead over the field prior to the repair, but it seems that the engine it had in the first place might cost them more than they thought. Anyway, the Veyron is currently running 39th overall, and it seems to be equally fast like before. It might be even faster."

**Bowser Motorsport Racing: 3:28 PM**

King Boo stared blankly at the displaced engine. "What should we do with this useless engine?"

**BMW Team Schubert: 3:29 M**

Professor E. Gadd didn't know how, but his 'stolen' engine from his laboratory somehow winded up at the Schubert Motorsport's back door. He suspected Bowser would have stolen it, but alas, the engine was supposed to power an airplane _jet_, and not a car. No wonder the Bugatti was having problems! It was simple logic, and he didn't bother telling the team as it could ruin their concentration.

**Standings**

**Pos./Number Team/Laps Gap/Best Class**

1/3 Black Falcon/2 N/A/8:25.7 SP9 GT3

2/89 Hankook Team Farnbacher/2 0:10.0/8:32.2 SP9 GT3

3/1 Audi Sport Phoenix/2 0:10.6/8:32.3 SP9 GT3

4/40 Manthey Racing/2 0:11.5/8:33.5 SP9 GT3

5/12 Reiter Engineering/2 0:15.7/8:34.9 SP9 GT3

6/2 BMW Sports Trophy Marc VDS/2 0:15.9/8:30.0 SP9 GT3

7/17 BMW Team Schubert/2 0:16.4/8:30.6 SP9 GT3

8/18 BMW Team Schubert/2 0:17.1/8:31.1 SP9 GT3

9/204 Audi Sport Team Phoenix/2 0:17.6/8:29.5 SP9 GT3

10/66 BMW Team Vita4One/2 0:18.2/8:32.6 SP9 GT3

(Further down…)

35/71 Schulze Motorsport/2 3:58.2/8:40.0 SP9 GT3

36/12 Manthey Racing/2 4:01.3/8:45.8 SP7

37/33 Kremer Racing/2 4:06.3/8:44.0 SP7

38/75 Kremer Racing/2 4:11.9/8:44.2 SP7

39/69 Bowser Motorsport Racing/2 4:15.8/8:35.0 E1-XP2

* * *

><p><strong>The standings may be hard to read, but I've tried to simplify it the best I could!<strong>


End file.
